Beitz R, Dören M, Knopf H, Melchert H-U
Klinisches Forschungszentrum Frauengesundheit, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Berlin.
Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz. 2004 Nov;47(11):1043-50. doi: 10.1007/s00103-004-0923-3.
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.
在发达国家，使用非处方药进行自我药疗正引起关注。本研究调查了年龄在18至79岁的德国成年人代表性样本中使用非处方药的流行情况及其决定因素。对药物使用情况调查的7099名参与者进行了访谈，询问了包括在访谈前最后7天内使用非处方药在内的用药情况。该调查是1998年具有代表性的德国国民健康访谈与检查调查的一部分。从3393名男性和3594名女性中获得了完整信息：17.6%的男性和10.8%的女性仅使用自我药疗的非处方药，而分别有12.3%和29.3%的男性和女性除处方药外还使用非处方药。除了性别，年龄、社会经济地位和社区规模等因素也决定了使用非处方药进行自我药疗。最常使用的自我药疗非处方药是维生素、矿物质和镇痛药。最常报告的使用非处方药进行自我药疗的指征是“预防”。除了处方药，使用非处方药进行自我药疗是德国男性和女性用药的重要组成部分。健康意识似乎是解释非处方药使用流行率的一个重要因素。
