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Modelling health-based choice behaviour using R: illustrating the Apollo package with smoking choices

John Buckell, Senior Research Fellow, Health Economics Research Centre, Oxford Population Health

Department External Seminars New Research Seminar Series Seminars

Wednesday, 06 September 2023, 2pm to 3pm

Hosted by The Health Economics Research Centre (HERC)

Date and time: Wednesday 6 September 2023, 14:00 hours (2pm UK BST)

Location: LG Seminar Room 0, Big Data Institute/Oxford Population Health Building, Old Road Campus, Headington, OX3 7LF

To Join: This is a free event, which will be taking place both in-person and online via Zoom/Microsoft Teams. Register

Abstract: In health economics, discrete choice experiments (DCEs) are increasingly used for a variety of reasons, including non-market valuation, informing the development of trials, and policy evaluation. Discrete choice models (or just “choice models”, typically of the multinomial logit form) are the statistical tools used to analyse data from discrete choice experiments (and indeed non-experimental discrete choice data). Any statistical software can be used to estimate these models. In this talk, we demonstrate the package “Apollo” in R for such estimation.

Apollo is software developed by choice modellers for the purposes of open, accessible, reproducible choice modelling. Its modular nature enables modelling with relative ease at the same time as allowing for flexible, complex, and indeed novel model structures. It is thus suitable for beginners and experienced modellers alike.

This talk will demonstrate Apollo’s application in health economics with the estimation of preferences, willingness-to-pay, behavioural economic models, market shares, and forecasting of policy scenarios. It will do so in the context of the US tobacco market using data from a discrete choice experiment and large-scale national secondary data.

Bio: John Buckell is a Senior Research Fellow in Oxford Population Health. His research makes applied and methodological contributions on health-based choice-making. He applies discrete choice experiments and econometric choice models to answer research questions across a wide range of subject areas, including vaccination uptake, obesity, tobacco, and genomics. Prior to joining the health economics team, Dr Buckell researched tobacco behaviours at the Yale School of Public Health.

Forthcoming External Talks

OxTalks (Oxford Population Health)