Lay beliefs about generic medicines may influence the level of agreement with the prescription of a generic medicine in a general population sample. These results raise important questions concerning the need to consider illness perceptions of lay people and their relationship with perceptions of treatment for different conditions.
Equity of access to health services is a major concern as it is an important precondition for positive health outcomes. However, inequities in use of health services among immigrant populations persist. Despite the increasing research in the field, patterns of healthcare seeking among immigrant populations and its associated factors are not fully understood. This study aimed to investigate healthcare-seeking patterns among immigrants in Portugal and identify factors associated with utilisation of health services. A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2008 and May 2009 with a sample of 1,375 immigrants residing in the Lisbon region. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire applied by trained interviewers. Two stepwise logistic regressions were conducted to identify which factors were associated with utilisation of the National Health Service (NHS) and with healthcare seeking for the first time in Portugal at the Primary Health Care service, estimated by calculating odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Among participants, around 77% reported having used the NHS; 50% sought health-care for the first time at the Primary Health Care service and 33% at the emergency room. Lower odds of having used the NHS were associated with being male, Brazilian or eastern European compared with being African, and undocumented. Lower odds of having sought health-care for the first time at the Primary Health Care service were associated with being male and undocumented. These results suggest that further efforts are needed to tackle inequalities in access to care and promote the utilisation of health services, particularly among the more vulnerable immigrant groups. Increasing appropriate utilisation of health services, including the primary and preventive care services, may lead to better health outcomes. Immigrants' involvement and participation should be incorporated into the development of health strategies to improve access and utilisation of healthcare services.
The aims of this study were to develop a scale to assess lay beliefs about generic medicines, and to investigate whether these beliefs differ according to demographic factors in an opportunistic general public sample. In the pilot study, the participants were 92 men and 136 women, and in the main study there were 314 men and 505 women. At both stages, the participants completed a questionnaire measuring beliefs about generic medicines, preference for medicines and demographic information. The scale has good face validity, showing a satisfactory level of internal consistency. An exploratory principal component analysis revealed a two-factor structure concerning beliefs about generic medicines, comprising two core themes (efficacy and similarity to brand medicines), in two different samples. Older participants showed a stronger belief in similarity with brand names than the younger group. Higher educated participants showed a stronger belief in the efficacy of generics. The opportunity to assess beliefs about generic medicines may have implications for adherence, for the implementation of health policies and for decision making about medicines.
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