Willingness to Pay for Dengue Vaccine and Its Associated Factors Among Healthcare Workers in Petaling Health District

Abstract

Background: Dengue vaccine can assist in controlling the rise of dengue. Highly effective cost of dengue vaccine in Malaysia is estimated to be between RM50 to RM200 per dose. It is important to know the willingness to pay (WTP) for the vaccine to assist in policy-making decisions for future dengue vaccine programme. The aim of study was to determine willingness to pay for dengue vaccine among healthcare workers (HCW) in Petaling Health District. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs of Petaling Health District, Selangor from September to July 2018 via simple random sampling according to proportion of HCWs in specific facilities. A self-administered questionnaire using the contingent valuation method was used to estimate WTP. Factors associated with WTP for dengue vaccine were assessed and associations measured using Chi-square test with significance level at 0.05. Results and Discussion: Response rate was 92.2%. Majority of the respondents were female (72.3%), presently married (73.4%) with 93.6% aged 40 years or less, having at least college or matriculation education (54.3%). For monthly household income, 51.1% was between RM 3001 to RM 9000. Only 17.0% had history of dengue with 43.1% having family history of dengue. The median WTP for dengue vaccine was RM 20 per dose ranging between RM1 to RM500. Among the HCWs, 51.1% had a high WTP for dengue vaccine defined as at or above the median WTP. Factors significantly associated with WTP for dengue vaccine were monthly household income (χ2=11.974, p=0.003), dengue preventive practice (χ2=4.715, p=0.03), knowledge of dengue vaccine (χ2=3.062, p=0.05) and perception towards vaccination (χ2=5.593, p=0.02). Conclusion: The study revealed that the range of WTP for dengue vaccine among healthcare workers was RM 1 to RM 500; with 51.1% of HCWs of Petaling Health District having high WTP for dengue vaccine. The predictors for WTP for dengue vaccine were monthly household income, knowledge regarding dengue vaccine, dengue preventive practice and perception towards vaccination.