Modeling of the Factors Influence on Arsenicosis Status, Averting Behavior and Willingness to Pay

Abstract

The determinants of health status are increasingly used in both research and for shaping policy have been striking in the area of health economics. The present study first attempts to address the shortage of developing country studies by investigating the determinants to how and to what extent these various factors may influence arsenicosis health status, averting behavior and willingness to pay for arsenic free water. The current study is based on cross-sectional primary data which was collected through a two-stage sampling procedure. The ordered logit results from different specifications show that the age, age square, household size, BMI, education, household monthly income, vegetable consumption and smoking behavior have strong consistent association with arsenicosis heath status. The binary logit specifications were used to estimate the association between outcomes and key household attributes. Among the determinants, the present study is focused on whose education is the most influential factor for switching from red source to green source for drinking water. Structure of the model allows to estimate the marginal effects of latent status of red mark tube wells. Maximum likelihood regression analysis results show that the education level of respondents, gender, household monthly income, vegetable consumption and participation of NGO(s) activities have a statistically significant association with willingness to pay for arsenic free water. These findings have potential practical implications since policies must be targeted at appropriate group(s) to avoid the health risks for enhancing the human capital formation.