Public Perception of the Risk of Heart Disease and Their Willingness to Pay for Its Diagnosis in Malaysia

Abstract

In Malaysia, heart disease is a major non-communicable disease and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Individuals need to understand the risk factors of heart disease, including health-related behaviors. This study was done to determine the perceived risks of heart disease and to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) for its diagnosis. One-way analysis of variance was used to determine the significance of mean differences among the other demographic variables, followed by Tukey’s post hoc test to determine the differences between groups. The Spearman Rho test was employed to determine the correlations between participants’ perceived heart disease risk and their WTP for its diagnosis. The Perception of Risk of Heart Disease Scale (PRHDS) mean score of participants with a family history of heart diseases (25.32 ± 2.81; n = 556) was significantly higher than those who did not have such a family history (22.14 ± 3.42; n = 761; p = 0.04). The participants with a family history of heart disease showed a greater WTP for diagnostic tests compared with those without a family history. The participants who were ready to spend within the range of Ringgit Malaysia (RM) 1-RM1000 were willing to pay for diagnostic testing of heart diseases based on their family history and socioeconomic background. This study demonstrated a higher perception of the risk of heart disease in people with a family history of heart disease, who also demonstrated a greater WTP for diagnostic tests. Individuals ready to spend up to RM 1000 were willing to pay for diagnostic testing for heart diseases. The individuals with a family history of heart disease perceived a higher risk of heart disease and were willing to pay to improve life expectancy per year. Hence, the information on family history can be used as a tool for the holistic approach to educate individuals on their risk factors for heart disease and encourage them to do early screening for cardiovascular diseases.