International survey of self-reported medicine use among adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
To examine gender, age, and country variations in adolescents' self-reported medicine use.


METHODS
Cross-sectional school surveys of representative samples of 11- to 15-year-old girls and boys were used. The 1997/1998 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study was referenced. A standardized questionnaire was completed during school hours.


METHODS
Canada, US, Greenland, Israel, and 24 European countries.


METHODS
123 227 participants equally distributed by gender and by 3 age groups (mean 11.7, 13.6, 15.6 y).


METHODS
Self-reported medicine use for headache, stomachache, difficulties in getting to sleep, and nervousness during the past month.


RESULTS
The magnitude of the adolescents' medicine use for headache, stomachache, difficulties in getting to sleep, and nervousness varied substantially across countries. In each of the 28 countries, more girls than boys used medicine for pain. Use of medicine for headache increased by age; use of medicine for stomachache increased by age among girls, but decreased among boys; and use of medicine for difficulties in getting to sleep and nervousness decreased from the age of 11 to 15 years. There was an increase in the crude girl versus boy ratios for medicine use by age for all 4 symptoms. Multivariate logistic regression analyses, adjusting for age group and country, revealed the following odds ratios (95% CI) for girls' versus boys' medicine use: headache 1.56 (1.53 to 1.60), stomachache 2.16 (2.10 to 2.22), difficulties in getting to sleep 0.96 (0.91 to 1.00), and nervousness 1.04 (0.99 to 1.08).


CONCLUSIONS
Substantial proportions of adolescents used medicine for common health problems. The prevalence of use differed between type of symptom for which the medicine was used, between countries, and between gender and age groups. We suggest that young people's medicine use should be addressed in public health policy.
Hansen
Ebba H
EH
Pharmaceutical University of Denmark, Department of Social Pharmacy, Copenhagen, Denmark. ehh@dfh.dk
Holstein
Bjørn E
BE
Due
Pernille
P
Currie
Candace E
CE
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D009656:North America; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012651:Self Medication; D012737:Sex Factors; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D013272:Stomach Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations