Phoenix Arizona is not among the top New Ranking Names for America's Cough and Cold Capitals
New Ranking Names America's Cough and Cold Capitals
Cumulative effects of stress, more so than weather, may be to blame
October 2004 (Newstream) -- The cold and flu season is just around the corner and now a new index from TriaminicĀ® and TherafluĀ® Thin Stripsā ¢ names the cities that are buying the most cough and cold medicines. The first Thin Stripsā ¢ Cough and Cold Capitals Index reveals that relatively balmy Bakersfield, CA, is the nation's top Cough and Cold Capital with residents there reaching for cough and cold medicines 35 percent more than the average household, while people in Springfield, MO, the bottom ranked city, buy only half the national average.
However, despite nearly one third of consumers believing that the cold weather is one of the main contributing causes of coughs and colds, the Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index indicates that it may not be the climate where people live, but the stresses they live with, that make them more likely to come down with a cold. Colder weather climates, such as Minneapolis, MN, (ranked 49th), Buffalo, NY, (ranked 80th), and Lincoln, NE, (ranked 101st), appear lower in the rankings than many of their fair-weather counterparts, such as California's Bakersfield, Monterey, and San Diego, which are all in the top 10.
"The Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index appears to show that despite popular myth, colder weather may have little correlation with the onset of colds and flu," says Jack Levin, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, who synthesized the data. "Rather, the cumulative effects of environmental stresses, such as long commutes in the car, smog and pollution, population shifts, and unemployment, may play a role in weakening our immune system, leaving us more susceptible to coughs and colds."
Dr. Levin studied cough and cold category sales data provided by Information Resources, Inc., and then compared numerous economic and sociological factors in an effort to better understand the disparities in these cities.
Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Share Key Factors
The Thin Stripsā ¢ Cough and Cold Capitals Index shows that most of the top cities have a number of common characteristics, from significant shifts in population sizes to high unemployment levels. "Population change is a significant factor. You might think that population loss would be the most stressful, because it is usually accompanied by high unemployment," says Dr. Levin. "But those cities that have experienced dramatic population growth often experience just as much stress because they have a lot more strangers in a community who don't have the necessary support systems in place."
The top cities tend to have larger than average populations, with seven of the largest metropolitan areas appearing in the top 20. Many of them have also seen major population shifts, with 15 of the top 20 cities having experienced significant population growth or losses. Philadelphia, PA, (19th) and Washington, DC, (4th) have both seen a double digit population loss of 11 percent and 15 percent respectively, while the Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capital Bakersfield, CA, and 12th-ranked Greensboro, NC, have both experienced extreme growth of more than 20 percent.
Not surprisingly, unemployment ranks higher among the cities at the top of the Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index, with Baltimore, MD, (8th) having a jobless rate of 9.13 percent and Washington, DC, (4th) at 7.12 percent, versus the lower ranked cities of Tulsa, OK, (107th) at 3.86 percent and Springfield, MO, (108th) at just 2.85 percent.
The Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index also appears to challenge some current consumer perceptions about what they think makes them more susceptible to coughs and colds. Recent consumer r Wayne, IN, (2nd), Richmond, VA, (3rd), Washington, DC, (4th), and Norfolk, VA, (5th), also share one common environmental characteristic. Each of these cities experience elevated smog and pollution levels, which is known to be detrimental to overall long-term health.
Solutions for a Stress-Less Life
Dr. Levin concludes, "With today's increasingly mobile lifestyle, it is inevitable that most people will suffer from a certain amount of cumulative stress at some point in their lives. How they manage this stress is key and some simple changes may make a big difference. For commuters, this may be taking public transportation once in while, or for families on the move, trying to build a support system where they live. Ultimately, minimizing everyday stresses may help to reduce our susceptibility to colds and flu."
Cough-Cold Product Innovation Meets Today's Needs
Consumer research commissioned by TriaminicĀ® and TherafluĀ® Thin Stripsā ¢ reveals that today's consumers are looking for convenient medicines that effectively treat the symptoms of coughs and colds and meet the demands of their mobile lifestyles.
According to Jeff Vernimb, vice president, Marketing at Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., "Consumers told us that portability was important for themselves and their children, leading us to develop Triaminic and Theraflu Thin Strips, the first cough and cold multi-symptom treatments in a thin film form. They're portable, so you can take them anywhere; they're convenient, there's no need for water or measuring; and they're accurate. One strip melts on the tongue to ensure a fast and accurate dose of medicine each time."
Triaminic Thin Strips, for children ages 6-12, will be available in two treatment options: Long Acting Cough (cherry flavor) and Cough & Runny Nose (grape flavor), and are priced to retail for approximately $5.99 for a 16-strip pack. Theraflu Thin Strips, for adults and children ages 12 and older, are also available in two treatment options: Long Acting Cough and Multi Symptom (both cherry flavor), and are priced to retail at approximately $5.49 for a 12-strip pack.
Editor's Note: For a complete list of Cough and Cold Capitals, please download the full press release on the right
Methodology - Dr. Levin's Research
Based on the rankings, the investigator studied 108 metropolitan areas around the country. The household sales of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, combining adult and pediatric, determined the relative position (i.e., particular rank) of each area. For the 20 top (high cough-cold) and 20 bottom (low cough-cold) areas, the investigator examined U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Labor, and Environmental Protection Agency data on percent population change (1990-2000), percent Black and Hispanic population, average daily commute time (car/public transportation), divorce rate, crime rate, average daily temperature during winter months, total annual precipitation, degree of pollution, percent population aged 65 and over, region of the U.S., and one-year changes in sales of cough-cold medicines. For all 108 areas, percent population change, average daily commute time, degree of pollution, and unemployment rate were calculated. All relationships were statistically tested for significance by means of Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient or Chi-Square. Dr. Levin studied the Index, which is based on data provided by Information Resources, Inc., and compared numerous economic and sociological factors in an effort to better understand the disparities in these cities.
Methodology - Consumer Research
These results are based upon telephone surveys conducted by Opinion Research Corporation among a national probability sample of 2,062 adults 18 and older living in private households in the continental United States. A total of 558 were the parent or legal guardian of a child under 18 living in their household. The survey was conducted September 9-13, 2004. The margin of er Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ about 78,500 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For further information, please consult http://www.novartis.com.
------------------------
Produced for Novartis Consumer Health
CONTACT:
David Cooper
Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.
973-503-7226
Lisa Josephy/Kristin Jones
Chandler Chicco Agency
212-229-8400
Cumulative effects of stress, more so than weather, may be to blame
October 2004 (Newstream) -- The cold and flu season is just around the corner and now a new index from TriaminicĀ® and TherafluĀ® Thin Stripsā ¢ names the cities that are buying the most cough and cold medicines. The first Thin Stripsā ¢ Cough and Cold Capitals Index reveals that relatively balmy Bakersfield, CA, is the nation's top Cough and Cold Capital with residents there reaching for cough and cold medicines 35 percent more than the average household, while people in Springfield, MO, the bottom ranked city, buy only half the national average.
However, despite nearly one third of consumers believing that the cold weather is one of the main contributing causes of coughs and colds, the Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index indicates that it may not be the climate where people live, but the stresses they live with, that make them more likely to come down with a cold. Colder weather climates, such as Minneapolis, MN, (ranked 49th), Buffalo, NY, (ranked 80th), and Lincoln, NE, (ranked 101st), appear lower in the rankings than many of their fair-weather counterparts, such as California's Bakersfield, Monterey, and San Diego, which are all in the top 10.
"The Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index appears to show that despite popular myth, colder weather may have little correlation with the onset of colds and flu," says Jack Levin, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Criminology at Northeastern University, Boston, MA, who synthesized the data. "Rather, the cumulative effects of environmental stresses, such as long commutes in the car, smog and pollution, population shifts, and unemployment, may play a role in weakening our immune system, leaving us more susceptible to coughs and colds."
Dr. Levin studied cough and cold category sales data provided by Information Resources, Inc., and then compared numerous economic and sociological factors in an effort to better understand the disparities in these cities.
Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Share Key Factors
The Thin Stripsā ¢ Cough and Cold Capitals Index shows that most of the top cities have a number of common characteristics, from significant shifts in population sizes to high unemployment levels. "Population change is a significant factor. You might think that population loss would be the most stressful, because it is usually accompanied by high unemployment," says Dr. Levin. "But those cities that have experienced dramatic population growth often experience just as much stress because they have a lot more strangers in a community who don't have the necessary support systems in place."
The top cities tend to have larger than average populations, with seven of the largest metropolitan areas appearing in the top 20. Many of them have also seen major population shifts, with 15 of the top 20 cities having experienced significant population growth or losses. Philadelphia, PA, (19th) and Washington, DC, (4th) have both seen a double digit population loss of 11 percent and 15 percent respectively, while the Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capital Bakersfield, CA, and 12th-ranked Greensboro, NC, have both experienced extreme growth of more than 20 percent.
Not surprisingly, unemployment ranks higher among the cities at the top of the Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index, with Baltimore, MD, (8th) having a jobless rate of 9.13 percent and Washington, DC, (4th) at 7.12 percent, versus the lower ranked cities of Tulsa, OK, (107th) at 3.86 percent and Springfield, MO, (108th) at just 2.85 percent.
The Thin Strips Cough and Cold Capitals Index also appears to challenge some current consumer perceptions about what they think makes them more susceptible to coughs and colds. Recent consumer r Wayne, IN, (2nd), Richmond, VA, (3rd), Washington, DC, (4th), and Norfolk, VA, (5th), also share one common environmental characteristic. Each of these cities experience elevated smog and pollution levels, which is known to be detrimental to overall long-term health.
Solutions for a Stress-Less Life
Dr. Levin concludes, "With today's increasingly mobile lifestyle, it is inevitable that most people will suffer from a certain amount of cumulative stress at some point in their lives. How they manage this stress is key and some simple changes may make a big difference. For commuters, this may be taking public transportation once in while, or for families on the move, trying to build a support system where they live. Ultimately, minimizing everyday stresses may help to reduce our susceptibility to colds and flu."
Cough-Cold Product Innovation Meets Today's Needs
Consumer research commissioned by TriaminicĀ® and TherafluĀ® Thin Stripsā ¢ reveals that today's consumers are looking for convenient medicines that effectively treat the symptoms of coughs and colds and meet the demands of their mobile lifestyles.
According to Jeff Vernimb, vice president, Marketing at Novartis Consumer Health, Inc., "Consumers told us that portability was important for themselves and their children, leading us to develop Triaminic and Theraflu Thin Strips, the first cough and cold multi-symptom treatments in a thin film form. They're portable, so you can take them anywhere; they're convenient, there's no need for water or measuring; and they're accurate. One strip melts on the tongue to ensure a fast and accurate dose of medicine each time."
Triaminic Thin Strips, for children ages 6-12, will be available in two treatment options: Long Acting Cough (cherry flavor) and Cough & Runny Nose (grape flavor), and are priced to retail for approximately $5.99 for a 16-strip pack. Theraflu Thin Strips, for adults and children ages 12 and older, are also available in two treatment options: Long Acting Cough and Multi Symptom (both cherry flavor), and are priced to retail at approximately $5.49 for a 12-strip pack.
Editor's Note: For a complete list of Cough and Cold Capitals, please download the full press release on the right
Methodology - Dr. Levin's Research
Based on the rankings, the investigator studied 108 metropolitan areas around the country. The household sales of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines, combining adult and pediatric, determined the relative position (i.e., particular rank) of each area. For the 20 top (high cough-cold) and 20 bottom (low cough-cold) areas, the investigator examined U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Labor, and Environmental Protection Agency data on percent population change (1990-2000), percent Black and Hispanic population, average daily commute time (car/public transportation), divorce rate, crime rate, average daily temperature during winter months, total annual precipitation, degree of pollution, percent population aged 65 and over, region of the U.S., and one-year changes in sales of cough-cold medicines. For all 108 areas, percent population change, average daily commute time, degree of pollution, and unemployment rate were calculated. All relationships were statistically tested for significance by means of Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation Coefficient or Chi-Square. Dr. Levin studied the Index, which is based on data provided by Information Resources, Inc., and compared numerous economic and sociological factors in an effort to better understand the disparities in these cities.
Methodology - Consumer Research
These results are based upon telephone surveys conducted by Opinion Research Corporation among a national probability sample of 2,062 adults 18 and older living in private households in the continental United States. A total of 558 were the parent or legal guardian of a child under 18 living in their household. The survey was conducted September 9-13, 2004. The margin of er Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis Group companies employ about 78,500 people and operate in over 140 countries around the world. For further information, please consult http://www.novartis.com.
------------------------
Produced for Novartis Consumer Health
CONTACT:
David Cooper
Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.
973-503-7226
Lisa Josephy/Kristin Jones
Chandler Chicco Agency
212-229-8400
