Self-reported information and pharmacy claims were comparable for lipid-lowering medication exposure.
OBJECTIVE
To examine agreement between self-reported exposure to lipid-lowering medications and objective evidence of filling prescribed lipid-lowering medications.


METHODS
Using data from 7,918 adults from the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, we calculated the sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PV+) and negative (PV-) predictive values, and likelihood ratios for self-reported exposure to lipid-lowering medications compared to exposure obtained from pharmacy claims (gold standard) both overall and by age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and ACE Score.


RESULTS
Eight percent (n=655) of adults self-reported lipid-lowering medication exposure, and 379 adults filled at least one lipid-lowering prescription within 60 days of the baseline exam during 1997. The sensitivity of self-reported exposure was nearly 94%; the specificity was 96%; the PV+ was 54%; and the PV- was nearly 100%. Values for sensitivity, specificity, PV+, and PV- were similar across participant characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
A self-reported measure of lipid-lowering medication exposure was accurate with high sensitivity and specificity while the PV+ of self-reported lipid-lowering medication exposure was relatively low. These findings suggest that self-reported exposure to lipid-lowering medications may be useful in surveys that examine the prevalence of hyperlipidemia, but may overestimate actual exposure in studies monitoring trends in use of lipid-lowering medications.
Brown
David W
DW
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA. dbrown6@cdc.gov
Anda
Robert F
RF
Felitti
Vincent J
VJ
D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents