title: Socio-demographic, lifestyle and psychological predictors of benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use patterns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Risk and demographic factors for benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use are incompletely understood. The aim of the paper was therefore to investigate socio-demographic, lifestyle and psychological factors predicting onset and differential pattern of prescribed benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic use in a Norwegian population sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  This retrospective cohort study obtained socio-demographic, psychological and lifestyle variables from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study. Information about benzodiazepine prescriptions from the Norwegian prescription database were linked to epidemiological questionnaire data. Benzodiazepine use was classified into single-period, intermittent and chronic use, and high dose use was defined as being prescribed a yearly average above 180 daily defined doses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Older age, sleep difficulties and smoking were positively associated with all patterns of benzodiazepine use. Male gender was related to a reduced risk of all patterns of use, whereas educational achievement was negatively associated with single-period use. Alcohol consumption, anxiety and tension were positively related to intermittent and chronic use, while exercise was negatively related to chronic use. Smoking, sleep difficulties and old age were positively associated with prescriptions of high benzodiazepine doses, while exercise was associated with lower doses.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patterns of prescribed benzodiazepine use are linked to demographic, lifestyle and clinical variables. Non-pharmacological treatment for sleep difficulties and smoking cessation may reduce the risk of chronic benzodiazepine use.
authors.affiliation: Gediz University, Department of psychology , Izmir , Turkey.
authors.forename: Trond
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nordfjærn
authors.forename: Ottar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bjerkeset
authors.forename: Grete
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bratberg
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Moylan
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Berk
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gråwe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D001569:Benzodiazepines