Biomedical subjects

Michelle Schulein

Publications and source records attributed to Michelle Schulein.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Gender and medication use: an exploratory, multi-site study.

OBJECTIVE: This comparative study in four countries was designed to explore differences in women's and men's patterns of medication use. METHODS: A total of 539 individuals, 303 women and 236 men, aged 15 years and older, were interviewed in Mexico, the Philippines, Uganda, and the US. Country-specific variables and codes adapted questions and answers to local contexts, and the instrument alternated between closed- and open-ended questions. RESULTS: In all sites, women reported using medications more frequently than men. Differences in reported use between women and men over the month preceding the survey were significant in Mexico and Uganda, but not in the two countries with the highest medication use, the Philippines and the USA. Gender differences are explained in part by differences in the frequencies with which major symptoms/conditions are reported, as women were generally more likely to report these conditions then men, but not more likely to treat symptoms or conditions with medications. This analysis also found gendered patterns of communication and information about health: women are central to the process of communication about health and therapies and they appear to draw on a richer repertoire of knowledge, perceptions and attitudes regarding medications. CONCLUSIONS: This study documents differences in patterns of medication use, with women reporting higher use than men overall. It also finds gendered patterns of use, manifested in information and perceptions surrounding medications.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Menopause in Morocco: symptomatology and medical management.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency of menopausal symptoms and patterns of recourse to medical care in Rabat, Morocco. METHODS: Face to face interviews with a representative sample of 300 women aged 45-55 years; information was collected on socio-demographic variables, reproductive history, use of health care, symptom checklist, and medical management of menopause. RESULTS: The most frequent complaints are fatigue and hot flashes, each reported by 61% of women, headaches (57%), joint pain (54%), anxiety (44%) and irritability (42%). Hot flashes, but not cardiovascular symptoms, are statistically associated with menopausal status. Only 5% of women in the sample take hormones, and 4% calcium; 13% continue to take contraceptives. The frequency of some symptoms and the use of health care for menopause are influenced by socio-economic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Reports of hot flashes and joint pains are relatively high, but the frequency of use of medical services for menopause is low.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Medication use, gender, and socio-economic status in Lebanon: analysis of a national survey.

From data collected in Lebanon by the 1999 National Household Health Expenditures and Utilization Survey an analysis was made of reported medication use (n = 14,142). Seventy-two percent of the population aged 25-64 reported taking a medication in the month preceding the survey. Medications with high frequencies of reported use were analgesics, psychotropics, antibiotics and vitamins. Women were more than one and a half times more likely than men to report taking any medication (OR = 1.6), and significantly more likely to report taking eight of the 19 medication types analyzed. Analyses of the association of medication use with socio-economic variables show different effects for education and employment (inversely correlated with higher use), and higher socio-economic status (positively correlated with higher use). Multivariate analyses were carried out on two of the frequently used medications, antibiotic and prescription psychotropic use, to further explore the simultaneous effects of socio-economic variables The results of the analysis high-light a number of potential areas which may be targeted for intervention, in particular the higher use of antibiotics in rural areas, the greater use of psychotropics by women, and the possible obstacles to obtaining needed medications for those with lower incomes.

Adult↗