Willingness to take drugs to prevent serious chronic diseases (自愿服用药物以预防严重的慢性疾病)

AbstractBackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine an individual's willingness to take a preventive therapy for each of two chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes [T2D] and dementia) when provided with varying likelihoods of acquiring the disease.MethodsAfter reading a description of two chronic diseases (i.e. T2D and dementia), 345 student volunteers at McMaster University rated their likelihood of taking a drug that could halve their chance of developing each disease, assuming a 1‐year risk of developing the disease of 50%, 25%, and 10%. A five‐point Likert scale was used to collect responses.ResultsAssuming an annual incidence of 50%, 27% of respondents were neither likely nor very likely to take a therapy that halved the annual incidence of T2D and 13% were neither likely nor very likely to take a therapy that halved the annual incidence of dementia. Higher quoted incidence rates of the disease and a personal history of a chronic illness significantly increased willingness to take such therapy.ConclusionsA high proportion of young educated adults have ambivalent or negative attitudes regarding the use of pharmacological therapy to prevent serious health outcomes even when the absolute 1‐year risk of these outcomes is very high.

Willingness to take drugs to prevent serious chronic diseases (自愿服用药物以预防严重的慢性疾病) Journal Articles