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It'll only hurt a second? Microeconomic determinants of who gets flu shots

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Author Info
John Mullahy
Abstract

Appreciating how the propensity to be immunized against the flu depends on individual characteristics and environments is essential for policies regarding influenza control to be formulated sensibly. To this point, the literature has offered little documentation on the determinants of influenza immunization. Beyond epidemiology, there are important economic issues that must be addressed to understand this form of preventive care. One concerns the relationship between labour supply and immunization propensity: While it is relatively costly (in terms of time costs) for workers to obtain immunizations, workers also have relatively more to lose from being ill with the flu. Another concern not generally appreciated is the extent to which individuals' perceived risks of infection may affect their propensities to be immunized. The paper also attempts to shed light on these issues.

The analysis uses data from the 1991 National Health Interview Survey. Immunization propensity displays expected patterns by age and health status, while the results with respect to race, household structure, income and insurance are somewhat more surprising and|or novel. The estimated labour supply and perceived risk effects suggest that some aspects of the economics of preventive care generally not considered in empirical work are important and merit further consideration. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. in its journal Health Economics.

Volume (Year): 8 (1999)
Issue (Month): 1 ()
Pages: 9-24
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Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:8:y:1999:i:1:p:9-24

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Web page: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/jhome/5749

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. White, Halbert, 1982. "Instrumental Variables Regression with Independent Observations," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(2), pages 483-99, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. James J. Heckman & Thomas E. MaCurdy, 1985. "A Simultaneous Equations Linear Probability Model," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 18(1), pages 28-37, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Browning, Martin & Meghir, Costas, 1991. "The Effects of Male and Female Labor Supply on Commodity Demands," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 59(4), pages 925-51, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Matthew J. Neidell, 2008. "Information, Avoidance Behavior, and Health: The Effect of Ozone on Asthma Hospitalizations," NBER Working Papers 14209, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Rosalie Viney & Marion Haas & Rochelle Belkar & Denzil G. Fiebig, 2004. "Why worry about awareness in choice problems? Econometric analysis of screening for cervical cancer," Econometric Society 2004 Australasian Meetings 109, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Ciro Avitabile & Tullio Jappelli & Mario Padula, 2008. "Screening Tests, Information, and the Health-Education Gradient," CSEF Working Papers 187, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy, revised 28 Apr 2008. [Downloadable!]
  4. Chen, Keith & Lange, Fabian, 2008. "Education, Information, and Improved Health: Evidence from Breast Cancer Screening," IZA Discussion Papers 3548, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  5. Joshua Graff Zivin & Matthew Neidell, 2008. "Days of Haze: Environmental Information Disclosure and Intertemporal Avoidance Behavior," NBER Working Papers 14271, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Jürgen Maurer, 2008. "Who has a clue to preventing the flu? Unravelling supply and demand effects on the take-up of influenza vaccinations," MEA discussion paper series 08170, Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging (MEA), University of Mannheim. [Downloadable!]
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