Consumer preferences of antifungal products for treatment and prevention of tinea pedis

Abstract

Tinea pedis is a common condition seen in clinical practice and has a significant impact on quality of life. Recommendations of over-the-counter antifungal products based on consumer preferences may guide dermatologists in treating patients with tinea pedis and preventing onychomycosis recurrences. Our study aimed to determine consumer preferences of antifungal products for tinea pedis, focusing on features that may guide purchases and usage. A search was performed for antifungal products used to treat athlete’s foot on Amazon.com as of 2018, and the top one percentile of over-the-counter products were sorted by rating and number of reviews. Functionality was the most cited positive feature (42% of comments) followed by cosmetic characteristics (14%). The median price of all products was $1.80 (range $0.33–$95.42), with solutions and balms associated with higher costs and soaks being the least expensive. Our study showed that the range of antifungal products available online for treatment and prevention of tinea pedis is large and variable in terms of type/vehicle, price, and ingredients. Physicians must counsel patients on the efficacy and Food and Drug Administration approval of listed ingredients, especially for those products associated with numerous supplementary claims.

Keywords

• consumer behavior
• internet
• amazon
• commerce
• tinea pedis
• athlete’s foot
• onychomycosis
• antifungals