Consumer attitudes on cough and cold: US (ACHOO) survey results

Abstract

Objective:

The Attitudes of Consumers Toward Health, Cough, and Cold (ACHOO) survey was developed to better inform health care providers on the natural history and impact of common cold and cough, and related consumer experience and behaviors.

Research design and methods:

Randomly selected US Internet/mobile device users were invited to participate in an online survey (N = 3333) in October 2012. Response quotas modeled upon 2010 US Census data ensured a demographically representative sample. To reduce potential bias from the quota design, 75% of the completed surveys were randomly selected as the primary analysis pool.

Main outcome measures:

Survey questions assessed participant demographics, frequency and duration of cough/cold symptoms, impact of symptoms on daily life, treatment preferences, and knowledge about cough/cold pathophysiology.

Results:

In the past year, 84.6% of respondents had experienced at least one cold. Colds typically started with sore/scratchy throat (39.2%), nasal congestion (9.8%), and runny nose (9.3%) and lasted 3–7 days. Cough, the most common cold symptom (73.1%), had a delayed onset (typically 1–5 days after cold onset) and a long duration (>6 days in 35.2%). Nasal congestion and cough were the most bothersome symptoms. Many respondents waited until symptoms were ‘bad enough’ (42.6%) or multiple symptoms were present (20.2%) before using nonprescription medications. Drivers of choice included effectiveness in relieving symptoms, safety, and past experience. Respondents rarely consulted clinicians regarding treatment, and more than three-quarters had never received instructions from a clinician on how to choose a nonprescription cough/cold medication. Misperceptions regarding etiology and treatment of the common cold were prevalent. The main limitation is potential recall bias, since respondents had to recall cough/cold episodes over the prior year.

Conclusions:

The ACHOO survey confirms that cold is a common, bothersome experience and that there are gaps in consumers’ knowledge of pathophysiology and appropriate management of cough/cold.

Keywords: :

• Common cold
• Cough
• Epidemiology
• OTC drugs
• Surveys
• Symptoms
• Upper respiratory tract infections

Transparency

Declaration of funding

This survey was developed through collaboration between Pfizer Consumer Healthcare R&D leadership in the cough and cold therapeutic area and a steering committee comprising the following experts in the field of cough and the common cold: M.S.B.; P.V.D.; and R.E. The steering committee members participated in all aspects of survey question development and implementation, including approval of the final survey. They also actively participated in the analysis and interpretation of the data and contributed recommendations for areas of additional investigation and analysis. The survey was implemented by M/A/R/C Research and funded by Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. M.S.B., P.V.D., and R.E. received an honorarium from Pfizer in connection with the development of this manuscript.

Declaration of financial/other relationships

M.S.B. has disclosed that at the time of manuscript development he was a consultant for Allergan Inc., Amedra Pharmaceuticals, Bausch & Lomb Inc., GlaxoSmithKline, JDP Therapeutics Inc., Meda Pharmaceuticals Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., Pfizer Inc., PMD Healthcare, Procter & Gamble, Sanofi, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., Vectura, and Zarbee’s Naturals. He was also a speaker for AstraZeneca, Bausch & Lomb Inc., Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Meda Pharmaceuticals Inc., Merck and Co. Inc., Mylan Inc., Nestlé, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. He is also a Pfizer stockholder. P.V.D. has disclosed that he is a consultant for Novartis Corp., Pfizer Inc., and Reckitt Benckiser Group. He is also a speaker for Boehringer-Ingelheim GmbH. R.E. has disclosed that he is a consultant for Bayer, Novartis Corp., Pfizer Inc., and Procter & Gamble. M.A.W. has disclosed that he is an employee of Pfizer.

CMRO peer reviewer 1 has disclosed that he has received grants from DuPont and Janssen, and has been a consultant to Pfizer, GSK, and Janssen. CMRO peer reviewer 2 has no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Charles Kish MD and Carol Summitt PhD of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare for statistical support. Medical writing support was provided by Lauren Cerruto and John H. Simmons MD of Peloton Advantage LLC, and was funded by Pfizer.

Previous presentation: Attitudes of Consumers Toward Health, Cough, and Cold (ACHOO): US Cough and Cold Survey. Presented at: American Cough Conference (ACC), 7–8 June 2013, New York, NY, USA.

Notes

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