Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

This is a qualitative data collection. This project was designed to investigate lay ideas/practices concerning heart health in the context of debates about appropriate regulation of preventive drugs (i.e. sale direct to consumers; sale ‘over-the-counter’ (OTC) in pharmacies; or prescription). The initial proposal centered on users of statins purchased direct from pharmacists, but the research was extended to consider people who had been offered prescription statins for primary prevention. The researchers set out to explain how people felt about these drugs; the decisions they made about them; and how their use was articulated with other efforts to reduce cardiovascular risk, e.g. lifestyle change or health related consumption. The following questions were asked: how do people account for their decisions to purchase or try to purchase statins? in these accounts, how does statin use/non-use fit with wider personal projects to avoid heart troubles or maintain health? what do those who have purchased them say about the ways in which they use or choose not to use these products? what do these accounts tell us about the emergence, uptake or transformation of the ‘self-care’ agenda and consumer identities? what implications do these findings have for policy concerning the regulation of non-prescription drugs? Further information may be found on the ESRC's DIY heart health: Accounting for the Use of Statins award webpage.

Main Topics:

Interviews explored how participants came to be prescribed or purchase a low dose statin, accounts of uses (or in some cases rejection) of these medicines and of wider practices relating to heart health or health in general, and conversations with primary care practitioners, pharmacists and others about cardiovascular prevention.

Volunteer sample

Face-to-face interview