title: Self-medication and health insurance coverage in Mexico.
abstract: Self-medication is a common practice in many developing countries but little is known about its determinants. This study analyzes the factors that are associated with the use of self-medication in Mexico using the Mexican Health and Aging Study, a new nationally representative survey on adults aged 50 and over. We find that self-medication is related to socioeconomic status and the lack of access to professional healthcare. Our empirical results suggest that lack of government-sponsored health insurance coverage increases the propensity to self-medicate. A 10% increase in the proportion of adults with health insurance coverage could decrease the use of pharmacy consultations by .8% for public sector workers and by 1.7% for private sector workers. Increasing health insurance coverage could reduce the demand for self-medication by making healthcare more affordable and by changing the population perceptions about the benefits of modern medicine.
authors.affiliation: Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program, University of Pennsylvania, 3641 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. pagan@wharton.upenn.edu
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Pagán
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Polsky
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico; D008875:Middle Aged; D012651:Self Medication