Willingness to pay for nine-valent HPV vaccine and its associates among senior high school girl students in Changsha city: a Tobit model-based analysis

  Objective  To examine the willingness to pay for nine-valent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and its influencing factors among senior high school girl students.

  Methods  Using multistage cluster sampling, we recruited 900 grade one and two girl students in three senior high schools in a district of Changsha city, Hunan province and conducted a self-administered anonymous questionnaire survey to collect the students′ information on the awareness about and willingness to pay for nine-valent HPV vaccine during October – November 2018. Tobit regression model was adopted to analyze influencing factors of the willingness among the students.

  Results  Of the 782 students with valid response, 245 (31.33%) and 273 (34.91%) reported the awareness about HPV and HPV vaccine; 731 (93.48%) expressed the willingness to have self-paid vaccination of nine-valent HPV vaccine and presented an average acceptable amount of money of 1 244 yuan (RMB) for one dose of the vaccine; 44.36% presented an acceptable price lower than the market value for one dose of the vaccine. The results of Tobit model analysis indicated that paternal education and self-rated susceptibility to HPV infection have positive impacts on the willingness to pay for the vaccine; while the perception on vaccine price has a negative effect on the willingness.

  Conclusion  Paternal education, the perception on vaccine price, and self-rated susceptibility to HPV infection are important factors for willingness to pay for HPV vaccine vaccination among senior high school girl students in Changsha city; the results suggest that health education on HPV infection and significance of HPV vaccine need to be promoted among the students.