Willingness to pay for traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) among Malaysian adults

Abstract

Purpose

Health plays a crucial role in the daily lives and supporting health is the important role of medicine. With the availability of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM), the demands and willingness to pay among users are increasing. Hence, this study aims to determine the psychological factors influencing the willingness to pay for TCAM among Malaysian adults.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 300 completed self-administered questionnaires were collected from Malaysian adults using a purposive sampling method through intercepts at public health-care facilities. A structural equation modelling approach using partial least square was used to test the hypotheses.

Findings

The findings show that attitude, subjective norms, perceived price and knowledge have a significant impact on willingness to pay for TCAM. Surprisingly, there was no relationship found between perceived behavioural control and health consciousness on willingness to pay for TCAM.

Originality/value

The findings of this study are expected to provide better insights into TCAM use among Malaysian adults. The results are also important to encourage health-care institutions and practitioners to educate the general public on the safety of TCAM to ensure more health benefits to the users.

Citation

Koh, M.Z.Y. and Goh, Y.-N. (2021), "Willingness to pay for traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) among Malaysian adults", International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, Vol. 15 No. 2, pp. 312-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-09-2019-0066