What do Poles know about medicines and dietary supplements?
2017-05-07
1800 pln
Most Poles struggle with allergic complaints such as a runny nose and cough, as well as itching and eye irritation.
The survey was carried out between 28.04.2017 and 07.05.2016 on a representative sample of 1,000 adult Poles. More than 50% of Poles suffering from symptoms typical of allergies take OTC preparations for this reason. They use RX medicines with much less frequency - only 28.2% of allergy sufferers made such a declaration. An even less popular practice (13.9% of indications) is taking a shower with the intention of ridding the body of pollen. Almost one in five people struggling with allergic symptoms do not undertake any activity to reduce the severity of their symptoms.
Opinion poll
In the opinion poll, we also asked about the question of diagnosis of symptoms typical of allergies. As many as 43.3% of those surveyed declared that they had not yet received a diagnosis. A professional medical diagnosis was made for 31% of the respondents - usually by an allergologist (80.5% of all diagnoses). Occasionally (13.4% of cases), the diagnosis was made by a family doctor, a pulmonology specialist (4.9%) and a pharmacist (1.2%). Exactly one in four respondents, on the other hand, chose to make a self-diagnosis.
Medical apps for allergy sufferers
For several years, allergy sufferers have been able to purchase special medical apps that allow them to monitor dust levels or keep a diary to observe their symptoms, among other things. However, as our survey showed, such solutions are still very unpopular in our country. Only 2.6% of allergy symptom sufferers have used them so far. For respondents not using such software, only 12.7% declared awareness of their existence. We also asked the users of mobile allergy apps to rate the importance of the functions they provide. By far the most important (72.2% of responses) was the module that provides real-time data on pollen counts at the allergy sufferer's location. Online recording of the severity of allergic symptoms was seen as important by 44.4% of respondents. On the other hand, one in three respondents indicated that it was important for them to be able to monitor the pollen situation not only at their current location, but also at other locations.
1 Methodological note. 3
2 Characteristics of the research sample. 3
3 Results of the study. 7
3.1 Distinction between Rx/OTC medicines and dietary supplements. 7
3.2 Familiarity with brands of RX/OTC medicines and dietary supplements. 10
3.3 Knowledge of RX/OTC medicines and dietary supplements and its sources. 12
3.4 Use of dietary supplements. 15
4 Conclusions 19
5 Table of figures and tables. 21
INDEX OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 1 Characteristics of respondents by gender (N=804) 3
Figure 2: Characteristics of respondents by age (N=804) 4
Figure 3. Characteristics of respondents by education (N=804) 4
Figure 4: Characteristics of respondents by income per person in the household (N=804) 5
Figure 5: Characteristics of respondents by occupation (N=804) 6
Figure 6. Characteristics of respondents in terms of factors they pay attention to when buying medicines in a pharmacy (N=804) 6
Figure 7. Knowledge of Rx/OTC abbreviations (N=804) 7
Figure 8 Degree to which respondents agree with basic statements about Rx/OTC medicines and dietary supplements (N=804) 13
Figure 9. Use of dietary supplements by respondents (N=804) 16
Figure 10. Resources used by respondents (N=804) 18
Table 1. Characteristics of respondents by income received per person in the
household - basic income parameters (N=750) 5
Table 2. Familiarity of respondents with Rx/OTC abbreviations - summary by gender and age (N=804) 7
Table 3. meaning of Rx abbreviation according to respondents (N=217) 8
Table 4. meaning of the abbreviation OTC in the opinion of respondents (N=217) 8
Table 5. main distinguishing features of Rx drugs in respondents' opinion (N=804) 8
Main distinguishing features of OTC products according to respondents (N=804) 9
Main distinguishing features of dietary supplements as perceived by respondents (N=804) 9
Table 8. Examples of Rx drugs known by respondents (N=804) 10
Table 9 Examples of OTC medicines known by respondents (N=804) 11
Table 10 Examples of dietary supplements known to respondents (N=804) 12
Table 11: Extent to which respondents agree with basic statements about Rx/OTC drugs and dietary supplements - breakdown by gender and age (N=804) 13
Table 12. Sources of information on Rx drugs used by respondents (N=804) 14
Table 13 Sources of information on OTC medicines used by respondents (N=804) 14
Table 14. Sources of information on dietary supplements used by respondents (N=804) 15
Table 15. Use of dietary supplements by respondents - summary by gender and age (N=804) 16
Table 16. Dietary supplement brands known to respondents (N=804) 17
Table 17. Measures used by respondents - summary by gender and age (N=804) 18
(FAQ)
It is always advisable to consult a doctor or pharmacist before starting any over-the-counter medicine, even if it seems safe and readily available from a pharmacy.
Yes, which is why there are several reasons why you should seek specialist advice:
- Allergic reactions - some OTC medicines can cause allergic reactions that are dangerous,
- Drug interactions - some OTC medicines can interact with other medicines or supplements that we use,
- Drug interactions - some OTC medicines can interact with other medicines or supplements that we use,
- Chronic diseases - people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease should always consult their doctor before taking OTC medicines.
The easiest way to find out about consumer needs and preferences is by conducting market research. There are a number of market research methods to find out consumers' opinions, attitudes and preferences towards products and services. The most common choice, surveys, can be conducted on paper or online and the results allow you to find out consumer preferences towards products and services, as well as identify potential problems and weaknesses.
