This dissertation research project of a cultural anthropologist studies how households use over-the-counter ("non-prescription") medications. The student will select a sample of households with young children in Tucson, Arizona, which vary on their access to health-care insurance. The project will study how mothers obtain information about non-prescription drugs, and hypothesizes that uninsured households will rely on OTC medications more than insured households. A sample of 40 uninsured and 20 insured households will be studied over a year to track the illness episodes. Pharmacists will be interviewed about their provision of information to customers. This project is important because the trend in recent years has been to decontrol many previously prescription-only medications. Given the current concern about health care and insurance in our society, this sort of in-depth study of a sample of families will provide valuable information to policy makers about their situation.
