Persistent social inequality in medicine use for headache among adolescents in Denmark 1991-2014.

BACKGROUND

Socioeconomic variation in adolescents' medicine use behaviour is an understudied issue.

OBJECTIVES

To examine the association between socioeconomic background and medicine use for headache among adolescents, and how this association changes over time.

METHODS

Data stem from the Danish part of the international Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study 1991-2014 with data about parents' occupational social class (OSC) and self-reported medicine use for headache, n = 26,685. This study examined absolute social inequality (percent difference between high and low OSC) and relative social inequality (odds ratio for medicine use by OSC).

RESULTS

In total, 40.5% used medicine for headache in the past month. There was a significant increase from 32.3% in 1991 to 42.8% in 2002 (test for trend, p < 0.0001) and very little change 2002-2014. This pattern was similar in high, middle and low OSC. The prevalence of medicine use for headache in high, middle and low OSC was 36.2%, 41.5% and 44.8% (p < 0.0001). The OR (95% CI) for medicine use was 1.25 (1.18-1.324) in middle and 1.43 (1.33-1.54) in low OSC.

CONCLUSIONS

Medicine use for headache increased 1991-2002 and remained stable 2002-2014. There was increasing medicine use for headache with decreasing OSC; this social inequality was persistent 1991-2014.