Peri Ballantyne
Trent University, Sociology, Faculty Member
- Peri Ballantyne is a health sociologist.edit
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Special issue on access to medicines, pricing and generics Medicine prices, availability and affordability in Vietnam and Thailand Medicine pricing policy in South Africa Consumers ’ perception of generic medicines in Malaysia Policy... more
Special issue on access to medicines, pricing and generics Medicine prices, availability and affordability in Vietnam and Thailand Medicine pricing policy in South Africa Consumers ’ perception of generic medicines in Malaysia Policy reforms and generic medicines in Australia Anti retroviral therapy in a South African public healthcare setting Retail pharmacy sector in low and middle income countriesSouthern Med
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OBJECTIVE: Prescription medicine use by the elderly is of growing concern as indicated by a large literature focused on rising costs, patient compliance and the appropriateness of use. However, prescriptions account for only a portion of... more
OBJECTIVE: Prescription medicine use by the elderly is of growing concern as indicated by a large literature focused on rising costs, patient compliance and the appropriateness of use. However, prescriptions account for only a portion of medicines used by the elderly, who have increasing access to non-prescription medicines and natural health products. The objective of this paper is to describe overall medicine use among the elderly in Ontario. METHODS: Using the National Population Health Survey (1996/97), we describe self-reported use of prescription, non-prescription and alternative medicines among elderly Ontarians aged 65+, and we compare use among four age sub-groups and by gender. Analysis is focused on the prevalence of, and the relative balance of use of different types of medicines. RESULTS: About one quarter of the respondents reported using no prescription or non-prescription medicines in the two days prior to being surveyed; a large majority reported using two or fewer ...
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An increasing proportion of the global chronic pain population is managed through services delivered by specialized pain clinics in global cities. This paper describes the results of a survey of pain clinic leaders in three global cities... more
An increasing proportion of the global chronic pain population is managed through services delivered by specialized pain clinics in global cities. This paper describes the results of a survey of pain clinic leaders in three global cities on barriers influencing chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) management provided by those clinics. It demonstrates a pragmatic qualitative approach for characterizing how the global city location of the clinic influences those results. A cross-sectional prospective survey design was used, and data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Key informants were pain clinicians (n = 4 women and 8 men) responsible for outputs of specialized pain clinics in academic hospital settings in three global cities: Toronto, Kuwait, and Karachi. Krippendorff’s thematic clustering technique was used to identify the repetitive themes in the data. All but one of the key informants had their primary pain training from Europe or North America. In Kuwa...
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Despite the abundance of medications available for human consumption, and frequent concerns about increasing medicalization or pharmaceuticalization of everyday life, there is little research investigating medicines-use in young and... more
Despite the abundance of medications available for human consumption, and frequent concerns about increasing medicalization or pharmaceuticalization of everyday life, there is little research investigating medicines-use in young and middle-aged populations and discussing the implications of young people using increasing numbers of medicines and becoming pharmaceutical users over time. We use data from a New Zealand longitudinal study to examine changes in self-reported medication use by a complete birth cohort of young adults. Details of medications taken during the previous two weeks at age 38 are compared to similar data collected at ages 32 and 26, and by gender. Major drug categories are examined. General use profiles and medicine-types are considered in light of our interest in understanding the formation of the young and middle-aging 'pharmaceutical person' - where one's embodied experience is frequently and normally mediated by pharmaceutical interventions having ...
To profile chronic health conditions of an injured worker sample before and after workplace injury and compare injured workers to a matched community sample. Logistic regression analyses compared risk of certain chronic health conditions... more
To profile chronic health conditions of an injured worker sample before and after workplace injury and compare injured workers to a matched community sample. Logistic regression analyses compared risk of certain chronic health conditions for permanently disabled injured workers in the pre- and post-injury periods to comparator subsamples from the Canadian Community Health Surveys 2003 and 2009/2010. There were notable health differences between the injured worker and comparator samples for the post-injury period. Injured men and women were more likely to report arthritis, hypertension, ulcers, depression, and back problems than the comparator sample. Injured women were also more likely to report migraine headaches and asthma. The observed differences suggest that permanently impaired injured workers experience more rapidly accelerated health declines than other aging workers, and this outcome is gendered.
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In-depth personal interviews were conducted with 29 men and women with severe arthritis of the hip or knee. All respondents had been identified by medical experts as having demonstrable need for total joint arthroplasty, but in assessment... more
In-depth personal interviews were conducted with 29 men and women with severe arthritis of the hip or knee. All respondents had been identified by medical experts as having demonstrable need for total joint arthroplasty, but in assessment in another study, had stated an unwillingness to consider the procedure. In interviews, we explored 1) current self reported health status and co-morbidities;
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Each year, approximately 31,000 Canadian injured worker claimants are certified to have permanent impairments associated with the initial workplace incident. Permanent impairments are characterized by ongoing pain, and limitations in... more
Each year, approximately 31,000 Canadian injured worker claimants are certified to have permanent impairments associated with the initial workplace incident. Permanent impairments are characterized by ongoing pain, and limitations in physical function and activity participation--all predisposing factors to mental health problems. Here we examine the post-accident mental health status of a sample of Ontario injured workers with permanent impairments. We analyze data from a cross-sectional telephone survey of 494 injured workers. Mental health status is examined using nine dichotomous diagnostic, symptomatic and functional mental health indicators identified by survey respondents as non-present, or having pre- or post-injury onset, and the CES-D. We describe the relationship of these indicators and work injury, demographic and socio-economic factors. Post-injury onset mental health problems are elevated compared to pre-injury onset in seven of nine indicators. Diagnosed depression, me...
Research Interests: Mental Health, Chronic Pain, Activities of Daily Living, Humans, Female, and 14 moreMale, Mental Disorders, Ontario, Risk factors, Middle Aged, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Risk Factors, Cross Sectional Studies, Occupational Injuries, Canadian Public Health Policy, Disabled Persons, and Socioeconomic Factors
Research Interests: Epidemiology, Mental Health, Social Determinants of Health, Feminism, Social Support, and 14 moreHealth, Public Health, Gender Identity, Social status, Marriage, Humans, Female, Male, Relation, Socioeconomic Status, Public health systems and services research, Housekeeping, Socioeconomic Factors, and Determinant
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Research Interests: Social Change, Perception, Health Promotion, Community Health, Humans, and 11 moreChild, Female, Male, Child and Adolescent Psychology, Self Concept, Public health systems and services research, Psychology of Power, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Internal- External Locus of Control, Delivery of Health Care, and Community health services
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RÉSUMÉL’ostéoarthrite (OA) chez les personnes âgées constitue une condition chronique et répandue associée à des douleurs importantes d’invalidité. L’utilisation d’analgésiques par voie orale est un élément central de la gestion des... more
RÉSUMÉL’ostéoarthrite (OA) chez les personnes âgées constitue une condition chronique et répandue associée à des douleurs importantes d’invalidité. L’utilisation d’analgésiques par voie orale est un élément central de la gestion des symptômes. L’utilisation de médicaments par cette population, cependant, est complexe et la nécessité de contrôler les symptômes doivent être mis en balance avec les préoccupations concernant la sécurité des médicaments. Notre étude s’est concentrée à illustrer et à explorer les variations entre divers médicaments différents utilisés pour gérer les symptômes liés à l’ostéoarthrite. Nous avons analysé les données provenant d’un échantillon de personnes âgées de 55 ans et plus, qui vivent dans les communautés, et qui souffrent d’arthrite de la hanche ou du genou pour examiner les facteurs sociaux et médicaux associés à la variation dans les médicaments rapporté. Une conclusion principale est que les types de médicaments utilisés par les patients atteints d...
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RÉSUMÉNous avons examiné la sécurité du revenu subjective chez les Canadiens de 45 ans et plus à l'aide de données quantitatives. Nous avons étudié la relation entre les variables démographiques, socio-économiques et... more
RÉSUMÉNous avons examiné la sécurité du revenu subjective chez les Canadiens de 45 ans et plus à l'aide de données quantitatives. Nous avons étudié la relation entre les variables démographiques, socio-économiques et socio-psychologiques et la sécurité du revenu par le biais d'analyses multidimensionnelles, notamment la possibilité d'une insatisfaction à l'égard du revenu actuel ou prévu. Notre examen porte sur plusieurs résultats imprévus reliés aux effets de l'âge, de la situation maritale et du sexe sur la sécurité du revenu subjective. Cinq théories socio-psychologiques pourraient contribuer à l'explication de ces résultats: la théorie de l'aspiration, la théorie du groupe de référence, la théorie de l'équité, l'examen de la vie et la théorie de la socialisation et de l'identité. Bien que ces théories ne puissent être vérifiées en partant des données utilisées, elles fournissent une orientation de recherche éventuelle. Nous concluons que l...
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ABSTRACTWhile there is growing evidence of the increasing use of medicines by the elderly, research undertaken to critically examine differences among types of medicine users in this population is limited. Using population data, we... more
ABSTRACTWhile there is growing evidence of the increasing use of medicines by the elderly, research undertaken to critically examine differences among types of medicine users in this population is limited. Using population data, we examine the influence of social, demographic, and health-related factors on likelihood of being a non-user, a user of non-prescribed medicines only, or a user of prescription medicines only. We find some evidence of the rational use of drugs (i.e., those who are in better health are more likely to be non-users or to use non-prescribed medicines than those who are in poor health) and of rational explanations for reported use (i.e., being female is associated with less likelihood of non-use or exclusive use of non-prescription medicines than being male). Further analysis of the medicine-use patterns and decisions of elderly men and of those of elderly persons who are widowed or separated/divorced is warranted.
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Research Interests: Psychology, Personality, Mental Health, Qualitative Research, Public Health, and 15 morePersonal Identity, Adolescent, Chronic illness, Counseling, Activities of Daily Living, Humans, Chronic Disease, Female, Male, Ontario, Medical Care, Qualitative Analysis, Expectation, AIDS care, and HIV infections
Despite the abundance of medications available for human consumption, and frequent concerns about increasing medicalization or pharmaceuticalization of everyday life, there is little research investigating medicines-use in young and... more
Despite the abundance of medications available for human consumption, and frequent concerns about increasing medicalization or pharmaceuticalization of everyday life, there is little research investigating medicines-use in young and middle-aged populations and discussing the implications of young people using increasing numbers of medicines and becoming pharmaceutical users over time. We use data from a New Zealand longitudinal study to examine changes in self-reported medication use by a complete birth cohort of young adults. Details of medications taken during the previous two weeks at age 38 are compared to similar data collected at ages 32 and 26, and by gender. Major drug categories are examined. General use profiles and medicine-types are considered in light of our interest in understanding the formation of the young and middle-aging 'pharmaceutical person' - where one's embodied experience is frequently and normally mediated by pharmaceutical interventions having ...
ABSTRACT This paper outlines Canadian evidence of the effects of cost sharing mechanisms of provincial drug benefit programs on pro- gram expenditures, drug utilization and patient health. Our review sug- gests that cost sharing decreases... more
ABSTRACT This paper outlines Canadian evidence of the effects of cost sharing mechanisms of provincial drug benefit programs on pro- gram expenditures, drug utilization and patient health. Our review sug- gests that cost sharing decreases program expenditures by shifting costs to patients and decreasing patients' use of essential and discretionary medications. Decreased utilization of essential medicines appears to be associated with poor health outcomes, and our findings suggest that fur- ther research in this area is required, given the trend toward cost sharing in prescription drug programs. While cost sharing may appear to be an expedient approach to coping with the rising costs of drugs, cost sharing mechanisms of the forms we describe effectively penalize the sick and poor. Assessment of costs should distinguish short-term cost savings from cost increases resulting from inappropriate or deferred use, or re- jection of prescribed medicines. (Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website:
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Because medication prescribing and use have become a normative aspect of health care for older adults, we seek to understand how individuals navigate prescribed-medication use within the context of aging. We reasoned that, for those who... more
Because medication prescribing and use have become a normative aspect of health care for older adults, we seek to understand how individuals navigate prescribed-medication use within the context of aging. We reasoned that, for those who are ambulatory, medication use is likely influenced by ethnocultural meanings of health and experiences with alternative approaches to health care. Accordingly, we conducted a qualitative study, with in-depth interviews, on a diverse sample of older adults in order to identify elderly persons' perceptions and uses of medicines. Our findings depict older adults as active agents--who draw on a lifetime of experience and knowledge--who take responsibility for adherence (or non-adherence) to medicines and their associated effects on their own bodies. We represent the older person as a "pharmaceutical person" whose experiences of aging are inextricably tied up with the negotiation of medicine-reliant health care.
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RÉSUMÉ Bien qu'il y ait de plus en plus de preuves d'une augmentation de la consommation de médicaments par les personnes âgées, il ya relativement peu de recherches entreprises pour effectuer un examen critique des... more
RÉSUMÉ Bien qu'il y ait de plus en plus de preuves d'une augmentation de la consommation de médicaments par les personnes âgées, il ya relativement peu de recherches entreprises pour effectuer un examen critique des différences entre les types de consommateurs de ...
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Background New Canadian policy to regulate natural health products (NHPs), such as herbs and vitamins were implemented on January 1st, 2004. We explored complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners' perceptions of how the... more
Background New Canadian policy to regulate natural health products (NHPs), such as herbs and vitamins were implemented on January 1st, 2004. We explored complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners' perceptions of how the new regulations may affect their practices and relationships with patients/consumers. Methods This was an applied ethnographic study. Data were collected in fall 2004 via qualitative interviews with 37 Canadian leaders of four CAM groups that use natural products as a core part of their practises: naturopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), homeopathic medicine and Western herbalism. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded independently by a minimum of two investigators using content analysis. Results Three key findings emerged from the data: 1) all CAM leaders were concerned with issues of their own access to NHPs; 2) all the CAM leaders, except for the homeopathic leaders, specifically indicated a desire to have a restricted schedule of NHPs; and 3) only naturopathic leaders were concerned the NHP regulations could potentially endanger patients if they self-medicate incorrectly. Conclusion Naturopaths, TCM practitioners, homeopaths, and Western herbalists were all concerned about how the new NHP regulations will affect their access to the products they need to practice effectively. Additional research will need to focus on what impacts actually occur as the regulations are implemented more fully.