TABLE 1.
Patients’ sociodemographic characteristics and reasons for attending a community pharmacy.
| Variables N (%) | Total 1360 (100) | Epigastric symptoms 189 (13.9) | Retrosternal symptoms 433 (31.8) | Overlapping symptoms 738 (54.3) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | 0.903 | ||||
| - Female | 807 (59.3) | 111 (58.7) | 254 (58.7) | 442 (59.9) | |
| - Male | 553 (40.7) | 78 (41.3) | 179 (41.3) | 296 (40.1) | |
| Age (years) (median, interquartile range) | 49 (36-62) | 48 (36-60) | 51 (38-64) | 49 (36-61) | 0.345 |
| BMI (kg/m 2 ) (median, interquartile range) | 25.8 (23.1–28.9) | 25.2 (22.6–28.4) | 25.8 (23.3–28.6) | 25.9 (23.1–29.0) | 0.488 |
| Reason for consultation | 0.277 | ||||
| Seeking treatment advice for the symptoms | 533 (39.2) | 78 (41.3) | 158 (36.5) | 297 (40.3) | |
| Requesting over-the counter medication | 774 (57) | 108 (57.1) | 258 (59.6) | 408 (55.4) | |
| Both | 52 (3.8) | 3 (1.6) | 17 (3.9) | 32 (4.3) | |
| Requested treatments | 0.001 | ||||
| - Antiacid monotherapy | 573 (70.1) | 98 (89.1) | 191 (70.5) | 284 (65.1) | |
| - Alginates in combination with antiacids | 108 (13.2) | 4 (3.6) | 32 (11.8) | 72 (16.5) | |
| - Proton pump inhibitors | 82 (10.0) | 6 (5.5) | 28 (10.3) | 48 (11.0) | |
| Educational level | 0.096 | ||||
| - No studies | 63 (4.6) | 8 (4.2) | 21 (4.8) | 34 (4.6) | |
| - Primary education | 321 (23.6) | 56 (29.6) | 83 (19.2) | 182 (24.7) | |
| - Secondary education | 470 (34.6) | 57 (30.2) | 173 (40.0) | 240 (32.5) | |
| - University education | 474 (34.9) | 65 (34.4) | 146 (33.7) | 263 (35.6) | |
| - NS/NC | 32 (2.4) | 3 (1.6) | 10 (2.3) | 19 (2.6) | |
| Frequency of physical activity | 0.839 | ||||
| - Every day | 381 (28.0) | 57 (30.2) | 125 (28.9) | 199 (27.0) | |
| - Once or twice/a week | 415 (30.5) | 60 (31.7) | 129 (29.8) | 226 (30.6) | |
| - 3-5 times/a month | 254 (18.7) | 28 (14.8) | 83 (19.2) | 143 (19.4) | |
| - Never | 310 (22.8) | 44 (23.3) | 96 (22.2) | 170 (23.0) | |
| Smoking habits | 0.215 | ||||
| - Smokers | 316 (23.2) | 55 (29.1) | 88 (20.3) | 173 (23.1) | |
| - Ex-smoker | 345 (25.4) | 44 (23.3) | 116 (26.7) | 185 (25.1) | |
| - Non-smokers | 699 (51.4) | 90 (47.6) | 229 (52.9) | 380 (51.5) |