Self-medication with OTC drugs is attracting attention in developed countries. This study examines prevalence and determinants of OTC drug use in a representative sample of German adults aged 18-79 years. A total of 7099 participants of the Drug Utilisation Survey were interviewed regarding drug use including OTC use within the last 7 days prior to the interview. This survey is a part of the representative German National Health Interview and Examination Survey 1998. Complete information is available from 3393 men and 3594 women: 17.6% of men and 10.8% of women use self-medicated OTC drugs exclusively, whereas 12.3% and 29.3%, respectively, use OTC drugs in addition to prescribed drugs. Besides sex, factors such as age, socioeconomic status and community size determine self-medication with OTC drugs. The most commonly used self-medicated OTC drugs are vitamins, minerals and analgesics. The most commonly reported indication for self-medication with OTC drugs is "prevention". Beside prescribed medication, self-medication with OTC drugs is an important part of drug usage for men and women in Germany. Health consciousness appears to be a significant factor to explain the prevalence OTC drug use.
BackgroundTo examine the differences in menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use and user profiles among women in Germany before and after the communication of the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial and other study results concerning the risks and benefits of MHT.MethodsCurrent MHT use was ascertained in two periodic German national health surveys conducted in 1997–1999 and 2003–2004. MHT prevalence and user profiles were assessed within each survey. The association of the survey period (2003–2004 vs. 1997–1999) with current MHT use was analyzed in weighted multivariable logistic regression (MLR) models, pooling data from both surveys.ResultsThe overall prevalence of current MHT use decreased by 40.2% from 16.9% of the sample in 1997–1999 to 10.1% in 2003–2004. The difference in prevalence between surveys varied with age decade with the smallest decreases among women 60–69 years of age (20.3% vs. 18.5%), compared to women of younger and older age groups (40–49: 10.7% vs. 3.9%; 50–59: 36.3% vs. 21.3%; 70–79: 5.7% vs. 3.2%). Variables independently associated with higher current MHT use in both health surveys included age category (curvilinear relationship with highest use among women 50–59 years) and residence in West vs. East Germany. A higher social status, lower body mass index, and more health-conscious behaviour were significantly associated with higher current MHT use in the 1997–1999 survey, but these associations were not found in the later survey. MLR analyses confirmed a significant decline in MHT use between the 1997–1999 and 2003–2004 surveys, however, the effect was modified by social status and was not significant among lowest social-status women.ConclusionCurrent MHT use considerably declined among women in Germany between the pre- and post-WHI era. A convergence of current MHT use among women of higher social status with pre-existing patterns of use among lower social-status women suggests that MHT in Germany is now less likely to be used for health promotion.
Previous studies regarding effects of caffeine on lipids focused mainly on coffee consumption, the real association of serum caffeine concentrations with blood lipids is unclear. 814 caffeine-drug users who had taken any caffeine/caffeine-containing pharmaceutical products and 623 nonusers without any drug use in the last seven days before the medical interview were identified from German National Health Surveys from 1984 to 1999. Serum caffeine concentrations were measured by using EIA for caffeine-drug users and nonusers in the same laboratory. Blood lipids were measured routinely for all survey participants. The association of caffeine concentrations with blood lipids was established by means of partial correlation analysis and regression analysis. After controlling for influence factors, caffeine concentrations were closely positively related to triglycerides in caffeine-drug users (male: r = 0.245, p < 0.001; female: r = 0.117, p = 0.018) and related to HDL-C in female nonusers (r = 0.245, p < 0.001). No associations were found between caffeine concentrations and total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in any groups of our study. Acute intake of caffeine might increase triglycerides levels especially in men while chronic intake of caffeine might be weakly but positively associated with HDL-C concentrations in women. The effects of caffeine on the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases should be further confirmed through epidemiological studies.
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