title: Should I pay for your risky behaviours? Evidence from London.
abstract: We investigate the extent to which respondents from a general population sample in London (July-August 2011) agree or disagree with the NHS covering the healthcare costs related to five risky health behaviours: overeating, unhealthy diet, sedentary life, excess of alcohol, and smoking. For each behaviour, we also directly explore the main factors associated with the likelihood to agree or disagree. Half of the respondents (N=146) manifest agreement with the idea. Wider agreement exists for covering the costs associated smoking, heavy drinking, and sedentary lives than with overeating, or poor diets. With the exception of alcohol drinking and sedentary life, there is an almost one-to-one relationship between the agreement that the NHS should pay the healthcare costs associated with a specific behaviour, and the respondents' actual engagement in that behaviour. Those at higher risk of depending on publicly funded healthcare, are more likely to agree.
authors.affiliation: Healthcare Management Group, Imperial College Business School, South Kensington Campus, SW7 2AZ London, UK. Electronic address: m.miraldo@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miraldo
authors.affiliation: LSE Health, London School of Economics, Houghton Street, WC2A 2AE London, UK; Centre for the Study of Incentives in Health, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 5th Floor Bermondsey Wing, Guy's Campus, SE1 1UL London, UK. Electronic address: m.m.galizzi@lse.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Matteo M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Galizzi
authors.affiliation: Post-graduate School of Public Health, University of Brescia, Italy; AOS Spedali Civili di Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: anna.merla83@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merla
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics and Management, University of Brescia, Via San Faustino 74/b, 25122 Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: levaggi@eco.unibs.it.
authors.forename: Rosella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levaggi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Communication and Health, University of Lugano, Via Giuseppe Buffi 13, CH-6904 Lugano, Switzerland. Electronic address: peter.schulz@usi.ch.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.affiliation: Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: francesco.auxilia@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Auxilia
authors.affiliation: Section of Public Health, Department of Biomedical Sciences for Health, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via Francesco Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy. Electronic address: castaldi@policlinico.mi.it.
authors.forename: Silvana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castaldi
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialties, Radiological Sciences and Public Health, University of Brescia, Viale Europa 11, 25123 Brescia, Italy. Electronic address: gelatti@med.unibs.it.
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Gelatti
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D008131:London; D008297:Male; D011639:Public Opinion; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Health responsibility; Lifestyle rationing; Risky behaviour