Self-care use patterns in the UK, US, Australia, and Japan: a multinational web-based survey

Abstract

BackgroundThe trend toward patient- or consumer-centered healthcare has been accelerated by advances in technology, consumer empowerment, and a shift from infectious to chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to examine the growing self-care market by analyzing self-care patterns.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey involving adults from nine major cities in the UK, the USA, Australia, and Japan. This study examined the extent and frequency of self-care, self-care expenditure, sources of self-care information, and reasons for self-care in each country.ResultsThe results showed that the prevalence of self-care was highest in Japan (54.9%), followed by the UK (43.1%), the USA (42.5%), and Australia (40.4%). The primary reason for practicing self-care was “to manage my healthcare myself” (cited by 45.7%, 59.5%, 49.2%, and 4.1% of participants in Australia, Japan, the UK, and the USA, respectively). Significant linear associations were observed between age and the prevalence of self-care in all countries (p < 0.05), indicating that self-care prevalence decreased with age in the UK, the USA, and Australia, and increased with age in Japan. The frequency with which self-care was practiced was positively correlated with age in the USA (p < 0.05), Australia (p < 0.01), and Japan (p < 0.05). In addition to acquaintances, internet search engines and information obtained from pharmacies were considered reliable and widely used sources of self-care information.ConclusionWhen developing self-care products or services, healthcare providers and policymakers should consider self-care patterns.

Culturally embedded health beliefs, self‐care and the use of anti‐ageing medicine among Australian and Japanese older adults

“…Haug et al (1991) found that Japanese elders showed a lower desire for their doctors to provide them with health information and less preference for care by physicians than American cohorts. This finding is further supported by a recent study by Mun et al (2016) who compared and contrasted self-care patterns in the US, UK, Australia and Japan. Lock (1993) found in the 1990s, few Japanese women sought doctors' advice for their menopausal symptoms compared to American cohorts who were encouraged to undergo Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) by their doctors.…”

“…High prevalence of CAM use among the Japanese has been also reported in several studies (Flaherty et al 2001, Lee et al 2004, Mun et al 2016, Yamashita et al 2002. CAM includes dietary supplements, Kampo (Japanese traditional herbal medicine, which has been integrated in Japanese medical system and people's life; Watanabe et al 2001), massage and acupuncture.…”

“…The growing popularity of dietary supplement use in Australia is also reported (e.g. Mun et al 2016). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2014) find that in 2011-12, 29 per cent of Australians used dietary supplement, and the highest proportions of consumers were in older age groups.…”

A critical review of self-care for sleep disturbances: prevalence, profile, motivation, perceived effectiveness and medical provider communication

“…Self-care was defined-in line with established research definitions (Mun et al 2016;Adams et al 2018)-as the self-determined and self-administered use of products or practices for addressing health problems and/or maintaining health practiced by individuals without instruction from healthcare professionals. Details of the search criteria can be found in the Additional file 1.…”

“…Varying definitions of self-care are rapidly emerging, in tandem with a trend toward patient-centered health care and an increase in chronic over acute, conditions (Mun et al 2016). Here, we define self-care as the self-determined and self-administered use of products or practices for addressing health problems and/or maintaining health practiced by individuals without instruction from healthcare professionals in line with established research definitions (Mun et al 2016;Adams et al 2018). Both complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) self-care (e.g.…”