Health State Utility Assessment of Adults Versus Children or Adults They Care For, 2012-2013

The overall aim of this study was to examine if health utility values differ for children, adults, and the elderly, in order to test whether we value the lives of children, adults, and the elderly differently. To that end, the study collected utilities from study participants between the ages of 18 and 65 using varying health state scenarios. The participants provided utility values for themselves as well as values for hypothetical or real children or elderly persons they care for. Standard gamble and time trade-off procedures were used to value four hypothetical health states: severe seizure disorder, severe bilateral vision loss, severe mental impairment and diabetes.