title: Stated time preferences for health: a systematic review and meta analysis of private and social discount rates.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The present study aimed to provide better insight on methodological issues related to time preference studies, and to estimate private and social discount rates, using a rigorous systematic review and meta-analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Proquest databases in June 2013. All studies had estimated private and social time preference rates for health outcomes through stated preference approach, recognized eligible for inclusion. We conducted both fixed and random effect meta-analyses using mean discount rate and standard deviation of the included studies. I-square statistics was used for testing heterogeneity of the studies. Private and social discount rates were estimated separately via Stata11 software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 44 screened full texts, 8 population-based empirical studies were included in qualitative synthesis. Reported time preference rates for own health were from 0.036 to 0.07 and for social health from 0.04 to 0.2. Private and social discount rates were estimated at 0.056 (95% CI: 0.038, 0.074) and 0.066 (95% CI: 0.064, 0.068), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the impact of time preference on healthy behaviors and because of timing issues, individual's time preference as a key determinant of policy making should be taken into account. Direct translation of elicited discount rates to the official discount rates has been remained questionable. Decisions about the proper discount rate for health context, may need a cross-party consensus among health economists and policy makers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahboub-Ahari
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. porrezaa@sina.tums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Abolghasem
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pourreza
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali Akbari
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Sari
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.
authors.forename: Abbas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahimi Foroushani
authors.affiliation: Institute for Trade Studies and Research, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heydari
mesh_terms: D003258:Consumer Behavior / Q000191:economics*; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Discount rate; Health-care; Meta-analysis; Systematic Review; Time preference