Key Summary
- Just 6% of students would ask a community pharmacist first when they feel unwell.
- Students are more likely to know where to find the pub than their nearest pharmacy.
- Chlora urges students and parents to make finding trusted health advice part of preparing for university.
Students are more likely to turn to artificial intelligence (AI) than a community pharmacist when they feel unwell, according to new research released today by sore throat relief brand Chlora, as it launches the Talk Before You Type campaign to encourage students to seek trusted advice before searching online.
The study of 1,000 UK students aged 18-24 found that just 6% would ask a community pharmacist for advice first, while more than 60% have never asked a pharmacist for health advice.
Google was the most popular first source of advice, chosen by 27%, while more than one in 10 (11%) would ask AI.
The findings come as a record-breaking quarter of a million UK 18-year-olds take up university or college places, nearly seven in 10 of whom plan to live away from home while studying.
Many will be managing their health on their own for the first time. Yet the research suggests that, while students prepare carefully for university life, knowing where to turn when they become unwell can be overlooked.
Within their first month at university, more than three-quarters of students knew where to find their local pub, campus bar, students’ union and supermarket, but fewer than one in four knew the location of their nearest pharmacy.
Parents are helping students prepare, with almost one in five buying cold and flu products for their children before they leave home, but Chlora says preparing for illness should also mean knowing where to find trusted health advice.
Despite their low use of community pharmacies, students have confidence in the advice pharmacists provide. More than half trust pharmacists completely or to a great extent, putting them on a par with the NHS website compared with only 10% who say they trust Google as a source of healthcare advice despite it being the first place most students go when symptoms appear.
With almost half of students having experienced the notorious ‘Freshers’ Flu’, Talk Before You Type aims to close the gap between the sources students trust and those they use by encouraging them to make their community pharmacist a first port of call for sore throat advice.
Community pharmacist and health content creator Melissa Dadgar said: “Starting university is exciting, but for many young people it is also the first time they have had to manage their health without their usual support network nearby. It’s understandable that students reach for their phones when they feel unwell, but AI and online searches cannot assess symptoms in the same way as a trained healthcare professional.
“Community pharmacists are highly qualified, accessible and often available without an appointment. My advice is simple, find your nearest pharmacy when you arrive at university and, if you become unwell, talk to the pharmacist before you type your symptoms into a search bar.”
Joe Wawrzyniak, Brand Manager for Chlora, said: “Students and their parents put a huge amount of thought into preparing for university, but knowing where to turn when they feel unwell can easily be overlooked. Talk Before You Type is about reminding students that their local community pharmacist is a trusted and accessible source of advice.
"At Chlora, we want to highlight the important role pharmacists play and encourage more young people to speak to them before turning to AI or searching online.”
Launching during Freshers’ Week, Talk Before You Type is calling on students to speak to a community pharmacist before turning to AI or searching online. The campaign message is: If you feel unwell, Talk Before You Type: speak to your community pharmacist for trusted advice.
