Over-the-counter drug consumption and related factors, evidence from the European Health Interview Survey.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The aim of this work is to find the factors related to over-the-counter drug (OTC) consumption in Europe considering the differences in OTC market regulation.

Methods

A sample obtained from the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) of 2019 is used to estimate a logistic regression. This sample includes 286,413 people from 26 countries. The outcome variable is derived from the question about the use of non-prescribed drugs. The independent variables include a set of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Finally, countries with similar OTC retail market regulations are considered to control for heterogeneity in this regard.

Results

The main findings show that OTC market deregulation is not strictly related to the share of OTC consumption. Despite some h

SUBMITTER: Tavares AI 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11792145 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature