Pharmacy accessibility and cost-related underuse of prescription medications in low-income Black and Hispanic urban communities.
OBJECTIVE
Policy efforts to reduce the cost of prescription medications in the US have failed to reduce disparities in cost-related underuse. Little is known about the relationships between pharmacy accessibility, utilization, and cost-related underuse of prescription medications among residents of low-income minority communities. The aim of this work was to examine the association between pharmacy accessibility, utilization, and cost-related underuse of prescription medications among residents of predominantly low-income Black and Hispanic urban communities.


METHODS
Data from a population-based probability sample of adults 35 years of age and older residing on the South Side of Chicago in 2012-2013 were linked with the use of geocoded information on the type and location of the primary and the nearest pharmacy. Multivariable regression models were used to examine associations between pharmacy accessibility, utilization of and travel distance to the primary pharmacy, and cost-related underuse overall and by pharmacy type.


RESULTS
One-third of South Side residents primarily filled their prescriptions at the pharmacy nearest to their home. Among those who did not use mail order, median distance traveled from home to the primary pharmacy was 1.2 miles. Residents whose primary pharmacy was at a community health center or clinic where they usually received care traveled the farthest but were least likely to report cost-related underuse of their prescription medications.


CONCLUSIONS
Most residents of minority communities on Chicago's South Side were not using the pharmacies closest to their home to obtain their prescription medications. Efforts to improve access to prescription medications in these communities should focus on improving the accessibility of affordable pharmacies at site of care.
Dima Mazen
DM
Qato
Jocelyn
J
Wilder
Shannon
S
Zenk
Andrew
A
Davis
Jennifer
J
Makelarski
Stacy Tessler
ST
Lindau
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002641:Chicago; D016527:Drug Costs; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011203:Poverty; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000191:economics; D014505:Urban Population
D055553:Prescription Drugs