Neighbourhood characteristics and use of benzodiazepines in The Netherlands.
This paper analyses the relationship between individual and neighbourhood characteristics and the use of benzodiazepines within a Dutch city. It is hypothesized that the proportion of users is lower in more socially integrated and less deprived neighbourhoods. Hypotheses have been tested by using multi-level analysis to distinguish between composition and context effects. Age and gender have a clear relation to the use of benzodiazepines and neighbourhood differences in the proportion of users are partly the effect of population composition by age and gender. The proportion of users is higher in neighbourhoods with a higher percentage of one-parent families, with a lower percentage of social rented housing and with a larger number of rooms per person. The strength of the relation between age and use is influenced by neighbourhood characteristics. Neighbourhood variation in the amount used only depends on population composition.
Netherlands Institute of Primary Health Care NIVEL, Utrecht.
P P
PP
Groenewegen
H G
HG
Leufkens
P
P
Spreeuwenberg
W
W
Worm
D000367:Age Factors; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D013223:Statistics as Topic
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D001569:Benzodiazepines