Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines
There is concern as to whether the public use OTC (over-the-counter) medicines with due diligence. The objective was to quantify the likelihood and extent people would seek information on OTC medicines in relation to 10 non-medicine products as a surrogate of the importance consumers place on them....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Pharmacy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/11/4/128 |
| _version_ | 1797583498419109888 |
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| author | Jeffrey G. Taylor Oluwasola S. Ayosanmi Sujit S. Sansgiry Jason P. Perepelkin |
| author_facet | Jeffrey G. Taylor Oluwasola S. Ayosanmi Sujit S. Sansgiry Jason P. Perepelkin |
| author_sort | Jeffrey G. Taylor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | There is concern as to whether the public use OTC (over-the-counter) medicines with due diligence. The objective was to quantify the likelihood and extent people would seek information on OTC medicines in relation to 10 non-medicine products as a surrogate of the importance consumers place on them. Citizens of one Canadian province estimated the likelihood and extent (scale of 1 to 10) they would search for information when considering a purchase. The survey had two lists—a MIXED products list (5 OTC medicine categories and 10 non-medicine products) and an OTC MEDICINES list (15 categories). Five hundred and seventy-five surveys were obtained (response rate 19.2 percent). The average age was 63.0 years and 61.6 percent were female. The mean search likelihood for the 15 products on the MIXED list ranged from 2.2 to 7.4. There was more intention to search for information involving OTC medicines (mean = 5.0) than non-medicine products (mean = 4.1). There was a weak positive correlation in search likelihood relative to OTC medicine familiarity. This study revealed that the likelihood of searching for information prior to purchase is not particularly robust. With a plethora of information currently available to consumers, motivation to access it is what may need attention. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:38:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9c1afa193f264637b8f3941b2d75f38c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:38:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacy |
| spelling | doaj.art-9c1afa193f264637b8f3941b2d75f38c2023-11-19T02:38:21ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872023-08-0111412810.3390/pharmacy11040128Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC MedicinesJeffrey G. Taylor0Oluwasola S. Ayosanmi1Sujit S. Sansgiry2Jason P. Perepelkin3College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, CanadaCollege of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, CanadaCollege of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USACollege of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, CanadaThere is concern as to whether the public use OTC (over-the-counter) medicines with due diligence. The objective was to quantify the likelihood and extent people would seek information on OTC medicines in relation to 10 non-medicine products as a surrogate of the importance consumers place on them. Citizens of one Canadian province estimated the likelihood and extent (scale of 1 to 10) they would search for information when considering a purchase. The survey had two lists—a MIXED products list (5 OTC medicine categories and 10 non-medicine products) and an OTC MEDICINES list (15 categories). Five hundred and seventy-five surveys were obtained (response rate 19.2 percent). The average age was 63.0 years and 61.6 percent were female. The mean search likelihood for the 15 products on the MIXED list ranged from 2.2 to 7.4. There was more intention to search for information involving OTC medicines (mean = 5.0) than non-medicine products (mean = 4.1). There was a weak positive correlation in search likelihood relative to OTC medicine familiarity. This study revealed that the likelihood of searching for information prior to purchase is not particularly robust. With a plethora of information currently available to consumers, motivation to access it is what may need attention.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/11/4/128OTC medicinesinformation demandconsumer behaviorfamiliarityself-medication |
| spellingShingle | Jeffrey G. Taylor Oluwasola S. Ayosanmi Sujit S. Sansgiry Jason P. Perepelkin Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines Pharmacy OTC medicines information demand consumer behavior familiarity self-medication |
| title | Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines |
| title_full | Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines |
| title_fullStr | Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines |
| title_short | Consumer Likelihood to Seek Information on OTC Medicines |
| title_sort | consumer likelihood to seek information on otc medicines |
| topic | OTC medicines information demand consumer behavior familiarity self-medication |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/11/4/128 |
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