Socioeconomic correlates of drug use based on prescription data: a population-based cross-sectional register study in Denmark 1999.
BACKGROUND
In the public health system we study medical treatment which is ideally provided according to need and independently of economic means. We report use of prescription drugs according to socioeconomic classifications in North Jutland County in Denmark in 1999.


METHODS
We conducted a register-based cross-sectional study of 385,879 persons aged 18 years or older. Data from the computerized accounting system from the pharmacies were linked with records of socioeconomic status (SES) in the Prevention Registry at Statistics Denmark. We identified all prescriptions redeemed in North Jutland County from 1 January through 31 December 1999 and classified the socioeconomic status for each individual based on the annual registration of income/social benefits, employer, occupation and education. We computed the proportion of persons redeeming at least one prescription and computed weighted averages of prescription proportions for each SES.


RESULTS
The highest prevalence of medication use was by persons in early retirement, old age pensioners, people on disability pension and others outside the workforce. We found only minor differences among different economically active groups with slightly more male top managers using cardiovascular drugs. People in the upper half of the socioeconomic scale were somewhat less likely to redeem prescriptions for treating muscle, joints and bone, and central nervous system.


CONCLUSIONS
Social or economic barriers in buying medicine are generally small in Denmark and do probably not provide a likely explanation for the social differences in morbidity and mortality.
Mortensen
Jens T
JT
Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. jetm@rn.dk
Olesen
Anne V
AV
Bøggild
Henrik
H
Olsen
Jørn
J
Westergård-Nielsen
Niels C
NC
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*