Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception in Pharmacies across Dallas, Texas: A Secret Shopper Study.

OBJECTIVE

To assess over-the-counter emergency contraception pills (ECP) availability in Dallas pharmacies across income levels.

METHODS

Secret shoppers visited 83 pharmacies (47 high-, 36 low-income zip codes) to document ECP visibility and restricted storage. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests compared visible availability by income group.

RESULTS

ECP was visibly available on the shelves in 53% (44 out of 83) of pharmacies. Of these, 84% (37 out of 44) used restricted storage. Availability was higher in high-income (64%) than low-income areas (39%) (P = .024).

CONCLUSION

ECP access remains limited, particularly in low-income communities, underscoring the need for efforts to improve availability.