General exposures to prescription medications by race/ethnicity in a population-based sample: results from the Boston Area Community Health Survey.
OBJECTIVE
Few recent U.S. studies have examined population-based patterns in prescription drug use and even fewer have considered detailed patterns by race/ethnicity. In a representative community sample, our objectives were to determine the most commonly used prescription drug classes, and to describe their use by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.


METHODS
Cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 5503 (1767 black, 1877 Hispanic, 1859 white) community-dwelling participants aged 30-79 in the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Survey (2002-2005). Using medication information collected from an in-home interview and medication inventory, the prevalence of use of a therapeutic class (95% confidence interval (95%CI)) in the past month was estimated by gender, age group, and race/ethnicity. Estimates were weighted inversely to the probability of sampling for generalizablity to Boston, MA.


RESULTS
The therapeutic class containing selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor/serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SSRI/SNRI) antidepressants was most commonly used (14.6%), followed by statins (13.9%), beta-adrenergic blockers (10.6%), and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (10.5%). Within all age groups and both genders, black participants were substantially less likely than white to use SSRI/SNRI antidepressants (e.g., black men: 6.0% [95%CI: 3.9-8.1%]; white men: 15.0% [95%CI: 10.2-19.4%]). Other race/ethnic differences were observed: for example, black women were significantly less likely than other groups to use benzodiazepines (e.g., black: 2.6% [95%CI: 1.2-3.9%]; Hispanic: 9.4% [95%CI: 5.8-13.0%]).


CONCLUSIONS
Race/ethnic differences in use of prescription therapeutic classes were observed in our community sample. Examining therapeutic classes rather than individual drugs resulted in a different distribution of common exposures compared to other surveys.
New England Research Institutes, Watertown, MA 02472, USA. shall@neriscience.com
Susan A
SA
Hall
Gretchen R
GR
Chiu
David W
DW
Kaufman
Judith P
JP
Kelly
Carol L
CL
Link
Varant
V
Kupelian
John B
JB
McKinlay
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017723:Drug Utilization Review / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044382:Population Groups / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D055553:Prescription Drugs