Obermeyer Carla Makhlouf, Price Kim, Schulein Michelle, Sievert Lynnette Leidy, Anderton Douglas L
World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
Health Care Women Int. 2007 Aug;28(7):593-613. doi: 10.1080/07399330701334646.
In this study, we investigate the extent to which women and men differ in patterns of medication use, based on quantitative and qualitative data from a household survey in Western Massachusetts. Using a broad definition of medications, 96% of the sample reported taking one or more medications in the month preceding the survey (86% if vitamins, supplements, and alternative medications are excluded). Twenty-one percent of respondents reported taking five or more medications, and women were significantly more likely to report taking five or more medications in the month preceding the survey. For both sexes, analgesics and vitamins were the most commonly used medications, but women were more likely to report having taken hormones, supplements, and antihistamines. The likelihood of medicating reported health conditions did not differ by sex, but the frequency of reporting health conditions was higher among women, and the difference was significant for body aches and psychosomatic conditions. Analyses of qualitative data indicate that female networks of relatives and friends are an important source of advice on medications for both men and women. Responses to open-ended questions suggest that women's discourse about the effect of medications differs from men's in terms of the range and detail of descriptions of symptoms and side effects.
在本研究中，我们根据来自马萨诸塞州西部一项家庭调查的定量和定性数据，调查了男性和女性在用药模式上的差异程度。采用宽泛的药物定义，96%的样本报告在调查前一个月服用了一种或多种药物（若排除维生素、补充剂和替代药物，则为86%）。21%的受访者报告服用了五种或更多药物，且女性在调查前一个月报告服用五种或更多药物的可能性显著更高。对于男女两性而言，镇痛药和维生素是最常用的药物，但女性更有可能报告服用过激素、补充剂和抗组胺药。为所报告的健康状况用药的可能性在性别上没有差异，但女性报告健康状况的频率更高，且在身体疼痛和身心状况方面差异显著。定性数据分析表明，女性的亲属和朋友网络是男女双方用药建议的重要来源。对开放式问题的回答表明，女性关于药物效果的论述在症状和副作用描述的范围和细节方面与男性不同。
