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The utility of health at different stages in life: A quantitative approach

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  • Busschbach, Jan J. V.
  • Hessing, Dick J.
  • De Charro, Frank Th.

Abstract

Thirty students and thirty-five elderly people compared the quality of life of imaginary patients of different ages suffering from end-stage renal disease. By manipulating the time the imaginary patients had to be on a transplantation waiting list, the utility of health at different periods of life could be compared. Except for the very young, respondents found health in the early periods of life to be twice as important as in the last decade of life. Health at age 35 had an utility somewhere between these two extremes. The responses of the elderly people showed remarkable resemblance to the students' responses, suggesting that the results reflect a general ethical standard. The values found were tested by means of a factorial design and found to fulfill the qualifications of an interval scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Busschbach, Jan J. V. & Hessing, Dick J. & De Charro, Frank Th., 1993. "The utility of health at different stages in life: A quantitative approach," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 153-158, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:37:y:1993:i:2:p:153-158
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    5. Stolk, Elly A. & Brouwer, Werner B. F. & Busschbach, Jan J. V., 2002. "Rationalising rationing: economic and other considerations in the debate about funding of Viagra," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 53-63, January.
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    10. Ann M. Holmes, 1997. "A Method to Elicit Utilities for Interpersonal Comparisons," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 17(1), pages 10-20, February.
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    18. Aki Tsuchiya, 2000. "QALYs and ageism: philosophical theories and age weighting," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 9(1), pages 57-68, January.
    19. Julie Ratcliffe, 2000. "Public preferences for the allocation of donor liver grafts for transplantation," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 9(2), pages 137-148, March.
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    21. Brouwer, Werner B.F. & van Exel, N. Job A., 2005. "Expectations regarding length and health related quality of life: Some empirical findings," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(5), pages 1083-1094, September.
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