Open AccessWillingness to pay for an intervention that reduces soda consumption among a sample of middle-class adult Mexicans
Author(s) -
M. Arantxa Colchero,
Carlos M Guerrero-López C M,
Tonatiuh Barrientos-Gutiérrez T,
Jorge Salmerón J,
Sergio BautistaArredondo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0255100
Subject(s) - willingness to pay , consumption (sociology) , psychological intervention , environmental health , contingent valuation , population , household income , socioeconomics , medicine , demography , economics , geography , social science , archaeology , psychiatry , sociology , microeconomics
Background Despite the growing public awareness of the adverse health effects of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) consumption in Mexico, little is known about the population’s intention to reduce SSB consumption and the social value of interventions to accomplish such behavioral change. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the willingness to pay (WTP) for an intervention that reduces soda consumption by half in Mexico. Methods We applied contingent valuation methods in a sample of 471 Mexican adults from a cohort study. We assessed the relative value of benefits by providing incremental information to participants in three scenarios: soda consumption reduction, + health benefits, + social benefits. To estimate factors associated with the WTP, we ran an interval regression. Results 87% of respondents reported they would like to reduce SSB consumption. High soda consumption, intention to reduce soda consumption and higher household income are associated with higher WTP. We found that the WTP increases as additional benefits are provided. The WTP, as a proportion of income, is higher for the lowest income level. Conclusion The average WTP per person may be seen as the minimum amount the country should invest on interventions to reduce soda consumption.