Younger elderly preferences for community-based home care services: A study using the discrete choice experiment method
Yishan Yan, Ling Liu, Yue Wang, Jing Wang, Jing Wang, Wanmin QiangAbstract
Objectives:
This study aims to examine the preferences of younger elderly individuals for community-based home care services, evaluate their predicted utilization, and determine the relative importance of various care attributes.
Methods:
A discrete choice experiment (DCE) was conducted among younger elderly individuals residing in urban, county town, and rural communities across China between July 2023 and February 2024. Participants were presented with two hypothetical community-based home care service scenarios (each defined by a combination of different levels of six attributes, including quality of care, medical standards, service environment, daily service content, government subsidy, and cost) and asked to select their preferred option, with no opt-out choice provided. A mixed logit model was employed to analyze the preference data, estimating the direction of effects, willingness to pay, and marginal values of each service attribute.
Results:
A total of 524 younger elderly individuals completed the DCE. All attributes significantly influenced participant preferences (
Conclusions:
The findings underscore the importance of high-quality care and robust medical standards in designing community-based home care services for the younger elderly population. Policymakers are encouraged to prioritize the integration of medical and elderly care services to enhance the quality of life for this demographic.