ARLINGTON, VA. Despite the lack of evidence that over-the-counter medicines cure the common cold, nearly two-thirds of American adults choose them to treat symptoms, according to survey results from 1,005 individuals aged 18 and older.
Evidence from previous studies has shown that OTC cold medicines are not effective for either preventing or treating the common cold, especially among children.
The findings suggest physicians should continue to educate patients about the limits of OTC medications and natural remedies for cold prevention and treatment, wrote Dr. Mark Moyad and colleagues in a poster presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Nutrition.
However, Americans appear to be getting the message about hand hygiene. Overall, 72% of the survey respondents reported frequent handwashing as a first line of defense against cold prevention. Other prevention methods included taking multivitamins (48%), getting plenty of rest (41%), and taking vitamin C supplements (36%).
Once they had a cold, 79% of the respondents reported drinking lots of fluids, 71% reported getting plenty of rest, and 68% reported using OTC medications.
Some gender differences emerged in the survey results. Significantly more women than men reported frequent hand washing (38% vs. 28%) and disinfecting their surroundings (38% vs. 28%) to prevent colds.
Data for this study were culled from a nationwide sample of respondents to an online survey conducted as part of a larger project that was commissioned by U.S. Nutrition and conducted by Booth Research Services Inc., of Atlanta. Dr. Moyad, codirector of the men's health program at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, is on the advisory board of Zila Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of the vitamin C supplement Ester-C.