International Journal of Public Health (Jul 2022)

The Relative Importance of Vulnerability and Efficiency in COVID-19 Contact Tracing Programmes: A Discrete Choice Experiment

  • Yi Wang,
  • Dian Faradiba,
  • Victor J. Del Rio Vilas,
  • Victor J. Del Rio Vilas,
  • Miqdad Asaria,
  • Yu Ting Chen,
  • Joseph Brian Babigumira,
  • Saudamini Vishwanath Dabak,
  • Hwee-Lin Wee,
  • Hwee-Lin Wee

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604958
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 67

Abstract

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Objectives: This study aims to assess the trade-offs between vulnerability and efficiency attributes of contact tracing programmes based on preferences of COVID-19 contact tracing practitioners, researchers and other relevant stakeholders at the global level.Methods: We conducted an online discrete choice experiment (DCE). Respondents were recruited globally to explore preferences according to country income level and the prevailing epidemiology of COVID-19 in the local setting. The DCE attributes represented efficiency (timeliness, completeness, number of contacts), vulnerability (vulnerable population), cooperation and privacy. A mixed-logit model and latent class analysis were used.Results: The number of respondents was 181. Timeliness was the most important attribute regardless of country income level and COVID-19 epidemiological condition. Vulnerability of contacts was the second most important attribute for low-to-lower-middle-income countries and third for upper-middle-to-high income countries. When normalised against conditional relative importance of timeliness, conditional relative importance of vulnerability ranged from 0.38 to 0.42.Conclusion: Vulnerability and efficiency criteria were both considered to be important attributes of contact tracing programmes. However, the relative values placed on these criteria varied significantly between epidemiological and economic context.

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