Does Sustainable Consumption Matter? The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Medication Use in Brasov, Romania

Ecaterina Coman, Claudiu Coman, Angela Repanovici, Mihaela Baritz, Attila Kovacs, Ana Maria Tomozeiu, Silviu Barbu and Ovidiu Toderici
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Ecaterina Coman: Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Claudiu Coman: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Angela Repanovici: Faculty of Product Design and Environment, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Mihaela Baritz: Faculty of Product Design and Environment, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Attila Kovacs: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Ana Maria Tomozeiu: Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Silviu Barbu: Faculty of Law, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
Ovidiu Toderici: Faculty of Education Science, Psychology and Social Assistance, Aurel Vlaicu University, 310032 Arad, Romania

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 13, 1-16

Abstract: Sustainable consumption refers to the choice, purchase, use, and disposal of goods so as to enable all people to meet their present and future objective needs. However, panic caused by the gradual onset of the pandemic had a considerable impact on the behavior of consumption and purchase of medication, and the question remains whether sustainable consumption still matters during a crisis or not. The present study aims to analyze whether the pandemic has influenced the behavior of medication use among residents of Brasov County amid panic caused by the virus and to determine the primary sources of information on methods of the prevention and treatment of health conditions. The study focusses on the differences between the two target groups, young people, and adults, considering three socio-demographic factors, such as age, gender, and background. The present research uses two methods of data collection: an interview with 5 doctors and a questionnaire with 543 respondents. This research draws attention to the fact that the behaviors of purchasing and consuming medication during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed due to the spreading of the new virus and the state of emergency, as well as with medication use becoming less sustainable. The results showed that adults were more engaged in the panic buying of medication compared to young people during the pandemic; however, in normal times, young people use more medication. Our study shows that females tend to consume more medicines than males. Moreover, they are more susceptible for seeking media guidance and following advice from the digital realm, because they avoid going to the doctor, especially during the COVID-19 period. Depending on the environment of residence, it was found that people in rural areas generally tend to consume more medication than those in urban areas. However, during the pandemic, the drug use of this category of population has decreased because they do not tend to self-medicate and avoid visiting the doctor because of the fear of becoming contaminated. The results of the research could help to establish measures in order to prevent the panic buying of self-medication and pharmaceuticals, both during pandemics and in normal times, because such behaviors can have negative effects on both health and the environment.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; medication use; pills use during the COVID-19 pandemic; impacts; panic buying; self-diagnosis; self-medication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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