title: Time and risk preferences and the use of asthma controller medication.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the role of risk tolerance, time preference, and asthma-specific attitudes in adherence to asthma control medications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students with persistent asthma completed an online survey on asthma beliefs, risk tolerance, and time preference (n = 47). The time preference questions measure the degree to which the individual discounts future outcomes and essentially prefers immediate gratification to delayed gratification. The risk tolerance questions indicate the individual's dislike of uncertainty about outcomes. We analyzed the relationship between the independent and dependent variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Feelings of embarrassment and concern about medication, as well as risk tolerance and time preference, were found to be significant predictors of adherence to control medication in the logistic regression. Analysis of probabilities associated with different profiles shows that at high rates of risk tolerance and discounting of future outcomes, the probability of adherence is near 0 regardless of asthma-specific attitudes. Asthma attitudes have a statistically significant effect for individuals with low rates of risk tolerance and time preference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk tolerance and time preferences of the target group should be considered when designing an asthma-intervention program. Individuals who strongly prefer immediate gratification over future benefits and are willing to tolerate uncertain outcomes are unlikely to adhere to controller medication, regardless of their asthma attitudes. In contrast, efforts to affect relevant attitudes will be most fruitful for individuals with low rates of risk tolerance and time preference. However, as we cannot extrapolate these results to a larger population, we must view them with caution.
authors.affiliation: Resource Economics and Center for Public Policy and Administration, 117 Gordon Hall, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA. sylvbrandt@gmail.com
authors.forename: Sylvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brandt
authors.forename: Brenton
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dickinson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D057240:Patient Preference; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010551:Personality; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents