scholarly journals Socioeconomic differences in self-medication among middle-aged and older people: data from the China health and retirement longitudinal study

BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. e017306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chang ◽  
Qing Wang ◽  
Yu Fang

ObjectivesSelf-medication with over-the-counter medicines (OTCs) and prescription-only medicines (POMs) are both pervasive in China, although the latter is an inappropriate practice. We examined the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and self-medication with OTCs versus POMs.MethodsMultivariate logistic regressions based on the Andersen framework were estimated using a subsample of respondents aged 45 years and over from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study collected between 2011 and 2013 (n=23 699). As dependent variables, we used OTC and POM consumption without a medical prescription. SES was operationalised by household income per capita and education. Control variables included health indicators, demographic characteristics, and health behaviours.ResultsIn our study sample, 32.69% and 15.02% of people aged 45 years and over had self-medicated with OTCs and POMs in the 4 weeks before the survey, respectively. OTC use by income exhibited an inverse U shape. Respondents from middle income groups were more likely to self-medicate with OTCs compared with those from the lowest and highest income groups. In contrast, respondents from the lowest income group were more inclined to self-medicate with POMs. There was a clear trend towards more self-medication with OTCs, but not POMs, among those with higher educational attainment.ConclusionPeople with low income tended to rely on self-medication with POMs for treatment, which is risky and of low quality. A health education programme for older people, particularly those living in low-income households, aimed at improving the quality of self-medication behaviour is warranted. Urgent measures are needed to address the issue of easy access to POMs at community pharmacies, and to improve access to formal medical care among the low-income population.

2009 ◽  
pp. 139-156
Author(s):  
katherine Hill

- Later life can be seen as period of income stability compared to other stages of the life course, and a key issue for older people in low income households is that they have limited means of pro-actively improving their financial situation. This article draws on a qualitative longitudinal study which explored how older people experienced changes in their financial circumstances across a two year period. The findings demonstrate that even where people did not feel that their financial circumstances had changed overall, this did not necessarily indicate a steady state. The study explored the interrelationship between changes in income and outgoings, as well as changing needs, and this article provides an insight into how social and personal resources are drawn on to help manage financial change and maintain stability. In doing so, it illustrates the extent of work that can be involved in maintaining a steady state in constrained circumstances.


2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s37-s38
Author(s):  
D. Maltais ◽  
T. Maala

Emergency response and vulnerable older people: some keys for better practices Danielle Maltais, Ph.D. professor and Taha-Abderrafie Maala, M.Sc student, Social Work Teaching Unit, Department of Human Sciences, University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (UQAC). In the event of a natural or technological disaster, certain groups of people, some of elderly, are more vulnerable than others because they do not have easy access to the community resources. For example, several older people, especially those with a physical or cognitive incapacity and those with a low income, do not generally have a car available which can hinder their evacuation during a flood, an earthquake or a hurricane. Moreover, several elders live in older buildings not built to resist to shocks of all kinds. Older people, particularly those with a physical or cognitive incapacity, those with a low income or those without a social network belong to groups at risk to undergo wounds, to die or develop post-disaster health problems. Considering this, several researchers and national or international government and private as well as non-profit organizations such as World Health Organization, the International Red Cross or HelpAge International produced several guides on intervention aiming to support workers caring for the elderly during a disaster. The purpose of this communication is to present the main outstanding facts and recommendations of these various documents in order to heighten the participants' awareness of the importance to take into account the specificities of older people during the application of emergency measures and the recovery period of a community.


2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 1833-1841 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendelin Slusser ◽  
Michael Prelip ◽  
Janni Kinsler ◽  
Jennifer Toller Erausquin ◽  
Chan Thai ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveThe present study was undertaken to learn more about parents’ (i) knowledge regarding healthy foods, factors associated with food purchasing and preparation, and current nutrition education resources, (ii) barriers to and promoters for establishing healthy eating habits for children and families, and (iii) interest in participating in nutrition interventions.DesignFocus group interviews were conducted with parents of low-income children from the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).SettingLAUSD Title 1 elementary schools where 50 % or more of students are eligible for free/reduced-price meals.SubjectsSixty-four parents (93 % female; 84 % Hispanic/Latino) of elementary-school students.ResultsThe most common barriers to eating healthy foods were cost, difficulty in getting children to eat healthier foods and easy access to fast food. Parents had a basic knowledge about what foods are healthy and received most of their nutrition education through the media. Parents expressed a desire for nutrition classes and almost all of them said they would attend a nutrition programme at their child's school. Topic areas of interest included what to purchase, how to cook healthier foods, how to encourage their children to eat healthier and how to read food labels. Parents also requested classes that engage the whole family, especially fathers.ConclusionsParents in our study were interested in participating in nutrition education programmes. The information from these focus groups was used to design a parent nutrition education programme especially designed to respond to the needs of the LAUSD parents, the majority of whom are low-income and Hispanic/Latino.


2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loretta Lees

Abstract Gentrification is no-longer, if it ever was, a small scale process of urban transformation. Gentrification globally is more often practised as large scale urban redevelopment. It is state-led or state-induced. The results are clear – the displacement and disenfranchisement of low income groups in favour of wealthier in-movers. So, why has gentrification come to dominate policy making worldwide and what can be done about it?


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atefeh Mohammadi

Background: Self-medication can lead to the latency of the real severity of disease, delay in diagnosis, a complication of treatment, threatening side effects, and unexpected intoxication. The present research aimed to explore the prevalence of self-medication and its factors among students affiliated to Bandar Abbas universities in 2016. Materials and Methods: This Descriptive Analytic study was performed on 600 students affiliated to the universities in Bandar Abbas; Islamic Azad University, Payam-e-Noor University, and University of Medical Sciences. The sample was selected through a stratified sampling method, and the data were collected by a questionnaire comprised of two parts, demographic information (6 items), and risk factors of self-medication and self-medicated drugs (26 items). SPSS version 19 was used to analyze the data through the required tests. Result: The mean age of the students was 24.11±5.85 years. One hundred and ninety-one subjects (31.8%) were male, and 409 (68.2%) were female. The results revealed the prevalence of self-medication in the target population was 80.2%., the main reasons for self-medication were reported underestimating the disease 461(77.0%), previous experience of the disease 457(76.4%), repeated prescription 441(73.6%), and easy access to drug 423(70.6%). The most prevalent drugs self-medicated by students were acetaminophen, herbal medicines, antibiotics, other drugs, sedatives, and anti-acids, respectively. Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of self-medication (80.2%) revealed in this research, there is a need for more attentive care for consistent education and drug consumption culture promotion. Specific approaches can help the provision of easy access to medical services in universities.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135406882110119
Author(s):  
Matthew Polacko

Previous research into the relationship between income inequality and turnout inequality has produced mixed results, as consensus is lacking whether inequality reduces turnout for all income groups, low-income earners, or no one. Therefore, this paper builds on this literature by introducing supply-side logic, through the first individual-level test of the impact that income inequality (moderated by policy manifesto positions) has on turnout. It does so through multilevel logistic regressions utilizing mixed effects, on a sample of 30 advanced democracies in 102 elections from 1996 to 2016. It finds that higher levels of income inequality significantly reduce turnout and widen the turnout gap between rich and poor. However, it also finds that when party systems are more polarized, low-income earners are mobilized the greatest extent coupled with higher inequality, resulting in a significantly reduced income gap in turnout. The findings magnify the negative impacts income inequality can exert on political behavior and contribute to the study of policy offerings as a key moderating mechanism in the relationship.


Author(s):  
Rebecca Bendayan ◽  
Yajing Zhu ◽  
A D Federman ◽  
R J B Dobson

Abstract Background We aimed to examine the multimorbidity patterns within a representative sample of UK older adults and their association with concurrent and subsequent memory. Methods Our sample consisted of 11,449 respondents (mean age at baseline was 65.02) from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). We used fourteen health conditions and immediate and delayed recall scores (IMRC and DLRC) over 7 waves (14 years of follow up). Latent class analyses were performed to identify the multimorbidity patterns and linear mixed models were estimated to explore their association with their memory trajectories. Models were adjusted by socio-demographics, BMI and health behaviors. Results Results showed 8 classes: Class 1:Heart Disease/Stroke (26%), Class 2:Asthma/Lung Disease (16%), Class 3:Arthritis/Hypertension (13%), Class 4:Depression/Arthritis (12%), Class 5:Hypertension/Cataracts/Diabetes (10%), Class 6:Psychiatric Problems/Depression (10%), Class 7:Cancer (7%) and Class 8:Arthritis/Cataracts (6%). At baseline, Class 4 was found to have lower IMRC and DLRC scores and Class 5 in DLRC, compared to the no multimorbidity group (n=6380, 55.72% of total cohort). For both tasks, in unadjusted models, we found an accelerated decline in Classes 1, 3 and 8; and, for DLRC, also in Classes 2 and 5. However, it was fully attenuated after adjustments. Conclusions These findings suggest that individuals with certain combinations of health conditions are more likely to have lower levels of memory compared those with no multimorbidity and their memory scores tend to differ between combinations. Socio-demographics and health behaviours have a key role to understand who is more likely to be at risk of an accelerated decline.


1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (S9) ◽  
pp. 137-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mayling Simpson-Hebert ◽  
Lorna P. Makil

SummaryLongitudinal data collected over a 2-year period (1982–84) on 152 first and second parity mothers who were delivered in a charity maternity hospital in Manila, Philippines, indicate the reasons for never brest-feeding and for early termination of brest-feeding. Socio-Cultural factors and beliefs are more important than physiological problems in minating breast-feeding.Proper bottle-feeding is too costly for most low-income families. Bottle-fed babies have a higher incidence of diarrhoea. Mothers who change from breast- to bottle-feeding in the first 6 months are 1·7 times as likely to become pregnant in the first year post-partum as mothers Who brest-feed for 7 or more months.


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