Willingness-to-pay in physical activity: how much older adults value the community-wide initiatives programs?

Sittichat Somta; Marc Völker; Dyah Anantalia Widyastari; Sirinapa Mysook; Narakorn Wongsingha; Danusorn Potharin; Piyawat Katewongsa

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1282877

Willingness-to-pay in physical activity: how much older adults value the community-wide initiatives programs?

Front Public Health. 2023 Oct 31:11:1282877. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1282877. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Sittichat Somta^#¹, Marc Völker^#², Dyah Anantalia Widyastari², Sirinapa Mysook³, Narakorn Wongsingha¹, Danusorn Potharin¹, Piyawat Katewongsa²

Affiliations

¹ Thailand Physical Activity Knowledge Development Centre (TPAK), Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
² Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand.
³ Sisaket Provincial Public Health Office, Mueang, Sisaket, Thailand.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: Previous studies have shown insufficient physical activity (PA) as a significant global health concern and a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Community-wide initiatives in physical activity (CWIPA) is considered as a best-buy for Community-wide initiatives in physical activity (CWIPA) is considered as a best-buy for NCDs prevention. However, assessment regarding resource allocation and cost-effectiveness of existing programs is lacking. This study investigated local residents' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for community PA programs in Southern Thailand.

Methods: The contingent valuation method (CVM) using the payment card approach was employed to elicit the WTP of 472 residents aged 45 years and over in selected provinces in which community PA programs had been implemented. Respondents were asked to indicate their WTP for the continuous offering of free CWIPA by choosing how much they were willing to pay from eight bid-value options, payable through their monthly electricity bill.

Results: The mean WTP of Thai older adults was found to be 72 baht/month ($2/month) or 868 baht/year ($25/year). This indicated the maximum amount an older person was willing to pay for any community-based PA program. More than half the sample (54.2%) chose zero as their answer, while there was a fairly large variation in other levels of WTP. The WTP was lower among older respondents and those who resided in rural areas but was higher among those with a history of participation in an organized PA program.

Conclusion: The level of WTP can be interpreted as an indicator of community satisfaction with CWIPA. That finding can be used as evidence for the government and policy makers in allocating resources and designing future CWIPA. A variety of organized PA programs should be offered to all community members to ensure inclusivity and also to provide equal access for senior citizens.

Keywords: community-wide initiatives; older adults; physical activity; well-being; willingness-to-pay.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Aged
Commerce*
Exercise*
Humans
Thailand

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. The research project is supported by Mahidol University (Basic Research Fund: fiscal year 2023) with grant numbers FF-139/2566.