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PubMed1994

The influence of reference price on the acceptance of new healthcare services among the elderly.

Reference price has been postulated in the consumer behavior literature to be an important determinant of new product acceptance in the marketplace. This study was undertaken to assess the influence of reference price on the acceptance of new healthcare transportation services among the elderly. Over five hundred elderly, chosen at random, were studied in a major metropolitan area. The proposed new healthcare transportation services were: a shuttle service (from the hospital to a satellite healthcare center) and an escort service (from the hospital to the patient's home). The results show that reference price is the main influence on the acceptance of the shuttle service superseding the effects of the traditional demographic variables of gender and marital status. However, reference price was not found to be an influence on the acceptance of the escort service. It appears that the use of reference price as a guide in the acceptance of a new product is not universal but rather contingent on the product being offered.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New OTC drugs and devices 2002: a selective review.

OBJECTIVES: To create a heightened awareness of two consumer issues confronting pharmacists in the self-care arena--consumers' need for accurate information about over-the-counter (OTC) products and consumers' attitudes and beliefs about OTC drugs--and to educate pharmacists about newly introduced nonprescription products, home screening devices, and home accessories. DATA SOURCES: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature and survey results from the National Council on Patient Information and Education. DATA SYNTHESIS: Although changes have been made to labeling for OTC products to heighten consumers' awareness of the dangers associated with misuse of these products, consumers need the expertise of the pharmacist to guide them toward effective and safe self-care. It remains critical that pharmacists be knowledgeable about the numerous nonprescription products that become available on the U.S. market each year and take the initiative to counsel patients appropriately on the benefits and risks associated with their use. CONCLUSION: Patients will continue to place an increasing emphasis on self-care. To assist them, pharmacists must remain up-to-date on trends and have an understanding of the nuances of consumers' behavior and thinking in relation to OTC products and their use. The new nonprescription medications and diagnostic screening devices discussed in this review article represent valuable additions to the growing array of self-care products.

Drug Labeling↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New OTC drugs and devices 2003: a selective review.

OBJECTIVES: To present current information about trends development and marketing of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and dietary supplement products and describe new products, delivery systems, home monitoring devices, and home accessories in these markets that are likely generating questions from or posing potential problems for patients. DATA SOURCES: Recently published clinical and pharmaceutical industry literature. STUDY SELECTION: By the authors. DATA EXTRACTION: By the authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: Last year witnessed the first effort of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to remove a dietary supplement from the U.S. market. Ephedra, because of its imminent danger when used for weight reduction and athletic enhancement, was the target of FDA action. FDA has issued a final rule implementing this ban, which prohibits the sale of dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids (e.g., ephedra). Two newer diet-aid products are being actively promoted with little or no safety and effectiveness data. Thus, pharmacist's vigilance is important along with sensible advice on how to lose weight safely and effectively. Further, two independent organizations have created certification programs for dietary supplements that ensure product purity, active ingredient strength, and compliance with good manufacturing practices. In addition, through recent changes in federal legislation, consumers are now able to obtain reimbursement for their nonprescription purchases through flexible spending accounts. Information is presented in this article about selected products in these OTC, home care, and dietary supplement categories: heartburn (proton pump inhibitors), allergy (second-generation antihistamines), constipation (laxatives), diabetes mellitus (blood glucose monitoring systems), home testing (fertility monitoring), nicotine addiction (smoking cessation products), otic disorders (ear syringes), contraceptives and sexual aids (condoms and lubricants), and dermatology (wart removal). CONCLUSION: Patients continue to increase their reliance on self-care. To assist them, pharmacists must remain up-to-date on trends and have an understanding of the nuances of consumers' behavior and thinking in relation to OTC products and their use.

Drug Labeling↗
PubMed2005

Medicaid enrollee switching among managed care plans.

This case-study (n=41,969) of voluntary switching among Mecklenburg County, North Carolina Medicaid managed care plans showed a low switching rate of 14.5 per 100 member-years over 33 months, or 5.3 averaged annually. Population, plan and plan characteristics, claims and telephone survey data were examined to better understand this important behavioral measure. Switching in Medicaid managed care, which is little studied, is contrasted with the extensive literature on middle class switching. Policy implications included the suitability of Medicaid populations for managed care and the need for more research on switching and disenrollment and the Medicaid innovation of neutral health benefits advising.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S.↗
PubMed1993

Social marketing for public health.

Marketing techniques and tools, imported from the private sector, are increasingly being advocated for their potential value in crafting and disseminating effective social change strategies. This paper describes the field of social marketing as it is used to improve the health of the public. A disciplined process of strategic planning can yield promising new insights into consumer behavior and product design. But the "technology" cannot simply be transferred without some translation to reconcile differences between commercial marketing and public health.

Advertising↗
PubMed1985

Patients' preferences for dentists' behaviors.

Unlike previous studies that examined specialized populations or were completed some years ago, this survey collected information from a cross-section of patients who were currently receiving various kinds of dental treatment. Although the study disclosed that patients' preferences and perceptions of dentists' performance might vary within and between demographic groups, a more important finding was that, in general, most patients in all demographic groups held common beliefs about how they would like to be treated by their dentists. However, according to the reports of these patients, the dentists did not always behave in ways that were congruent with the patients' preferences. The study showed that patients are sensitive to dentists' behaviors. It should also be noted that dentists are sensitive to patients' behaviors and that dentist-patient relationships may be a source of stress for both patients and dentists. Nevertheless, the responsibility for setting the tone of these relationships rests primarily with the dentist rather than with the patient. Therefore, it is important for dentists to be aware of the needs and preferences of their patients so that they can act in ways that will make patients comfortable and dental treatment a positive experience. The potential that appears to be inherent in good, satisfying dentist-patient relationships for minimizing patient stress and making dentistry a less stressful profession has yet to be fully realized. Dentistry is a two-way street: whatever benefits the patient should in turn benefit the dentist as well.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Why patients change dentists: practitioners' views.

Dentists participating in a health screening at the 1984 annual session completed a brief questionnaire concerning patient turnover. In most dentists' opinions, patients more frequently leave a practice for reasons independent of the practice: they change residences and jobs. Patients' dissatisfaction with how they are treated, with the quality of care, and with pain and anxiety control also are believed to be among the factors "pushing" away patients. Lay referral is the major source of new patients, together with general community reputation and practice location.

Anxiety↗
PubMed2001

Escalating trends in the urban metabolism of Hong Kong: 1971-1997.

Urban metabolism measures quantitatively a city's load on the natural environment. We update the Newcombe et al. (3) pioneering study of Hong Kong's urban metabolism in 1971, highlighting trends in resource consumption and waste generation. Per capita food, water and materials consumption have surged since the early 1970s by 20%, 40%, and 149%, respectively. Tremendous pollution has accompanied this growing affluence and materialism, and total air emissions, CO2 outputs, municipal solid wastes, and sewage discharges have risen by 30%, 250%, 245%, and 153%. As a result, systemic overload of land, atmospheric and water systems has occurred. While some strategies to tackle deteriorating environmental quality have succeeded, greater and more far-reaching changes in consumer behavior and government policy are needed if Hong Kong is to achieve its stated goal of becoming "a truly sustainable city" in the 21st century.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed1990

Tobacco excise and declining tobacco consumption: the case of Papua New Guinea.

Excise elasticities of demand for non-cigarette tobacco and cigarettes were calculated for Papua New Guinea for the 14 years 1973-86. Respectively, these were -0.50 and -0.71. This means that 10 percent increases in cigarette and non-cigarette tobacco excise are associated with an estimated 7.1 percent fall in demand for cigarettes and a 5 percent decrease in the demand for tobacco. As tax (excise) elasticities would normally be significantly smaller than price elasticities, these results imply that the consumption of cigarettes and tobacco in Papua New Guinea are more responsive to prices than in the United States and other Western countries. The level of excise is therefore an important and practical instrument for the control of consumption. These elasticities appear to be the first reported for a developing country. It is suggested that if they are indicative of consumer behavior in lower income countries then increasing tobacco and cigarette excise should be considered as an important strategy for the control of smoking in these countries which, because of their large populations, are huge markets for tobacco products and thus major targets for tobacco control measures.

Developing Countries↗
PubMed2001

Increasing voluntary HIV testing by offering oral tests in incarcerated populations.

OBJECTIVES: This study reports responses of incarcerated persons to voluntary blood and oral HIV testing. METHODS: Males and females in local detention and juvenile justice facilities in Maryland (n = 1314) chose oral or blood testing and reported reactions to the oral HIV test. The relationship of demographics and HIV risk factors to test choice was examined. RESULTS: Reactions to oral testing were very favorable; some participants reported that they would not otherwise have been tested. Participants who chose oral testing were more likely to be male and African American, but they did not differ from those who chose blood testing in most risk factors or in seroprevalence. CONCLUSIONS: Oral HIV testing in correctional settings may promote voluntary testing among persons who otherwise would refuse or avoid testing, especially among groups (males and African Americans) disproportionately affected by HIV.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗
PubMed2004

Do patients always prefer quicker treatment? : a discrete choice analysis of patients' stated preferences in the London Patient Choice Project.

The London Patient Choice Project (LPCP) was established to offer NHS patients more choice over where and when they receive treatment, and to reduce waiting times. The LPCP offered those patients waiting around 6 months for elective procedures a choice of treatment at an alternative NHS or private hospital, or treatment at an overseas hospital.The aim of this article is to investigate the following questions regarding patients' response to choice: (a) What are the factors that patients consider when deciding whether to accept the alternatives they are offered? (b) What is the relative importance to patients of each factor when making their choices, i.e. what trade-offs are patients prepared to make between time waited and other factors? (c) Are there any systematic differences between subgroups of patients (in terms of their personal, health and sociodemographic characteristics) in their response to choice?Patients' preferences were elicited using a discrete choice experiment. Patients eligible to participate in the LPCP were recruited prior to being offered their choice between hospitals and each presented with seven hypothetical choices via a self-completed questionnaire. Data were received from 2114 patients. Thirty percent of respondents consistently chose their 'current' over the 'alternative' hospital. All the attributes and levels examined in the experiment were found to exhibit a significant influence on patients' likelihood of opting for an alternative provider, in the expected direction. Age, education and income had an important effect on the 'uptake' of choice. Our results suggest several important implications for policy. First, there may be equity concerns arising from some patient subgroups being more predisposed to accept choice. Second, although reduced waiting time is important to most patients, it is not all that matters. For example, the reputation of the proffered alternatives is of key importance, suggesting careful thought is required about what information on quality and reputation can/should be made available and how it should be made available to facilitate informed choice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1975

The women's health movement.

This article provides a brief overview of the history, current status, and future directions of the Women's Health Movement. The links between feminism and women's health issues are drawn and reasons for their simultaneous occurrence are suggested. It is shown that health issues are seen by the Movement has suspended in the larger social context from which they arise.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed1999

Birth order and two marketing-related measures of aggression.

Several bodies of research link birth order and aggression. With a sample of 144 women and 225 men business students, the present study investigated birth order and aggression using two measures from academic marketing. Neither measure detected significant influence of birth order. Implications are discussed regarding marketing and consumers' behavior.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Explanatory style and academic performance among college students beginning a major course of study.

Explanatory style, a cognitive variable, reflects how people typically explain the causes of bad events involving themselves. Explanatory style emerged from the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness and depression model as a way of explaining individual differences in response to uncontrollability. A central prediction of the reformulation is that people with habitual explanatory tendencies differ, and individuals with a pessimistic explanatory style will be more likely to exhibit depressive symptoms following bad events than individuals with an optimistic explanatory style. 116 upper-level undergraduates beginning a degree program at this university completed the Attributional Style Questionnaire. Scores were correlated with students' cumulative grade point averages and their total points earned in Consumer Behavior, the first course required in the Marketing major. Students with pessimistic explanatory style scores outperformed colleagues with optimistic explanatory style scores. Implications of these findings and possible explanations for why explanatory style did not correlate in the theoretically predicted way with academic achievement are considered.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

An economic analysis of the illicit drug market.

Analyses of heroin addiction have often focused on its relationship to crime. It is assumed that with an increase in price, the addict who has a dependence must commit crime to support his habit. The present analysis proposes a new and critical approach to the problem based upon Consumer Behavior Analysis. It identifies the variables of Complements and Substitutes, and their effects upon price, supply and demand, criminality, and possible implementation of treatment modalities.

Drug Tolerance↗