Use of medications amongst older persons in Kaunas, Lithuania

Abstract

Aim To evaluate the associations between socio-economical factors and the use of medications in the elderly. Methods The data was collected in a cross-sectional study in 2009. We received 624 completed questionnaires (response rate - 48.9%) from elderly people aged 60-84 years living in Kaunas (Lithuania). For an evaluation of the impact of explanatory variables on the analyzed events (binary dependent variable), an Enter model of logistic regression was used. Results Our findings suggest that 50.8% (n=317) of respondents used at least one drug daily. 18.3% (n=114) of respondents indicated that they use medications regularly, but not on a day-by-day basis. One quarter (25.6%; n=160) used medication only on an "at need" basis. Only 5.3% (n=33) of older persons did not use any medications at all. Logistic regression showed that being male (OR=0.67; 95%CI:0.45-0.98) was associated with using medications "regularly + daily." For the use of "daily" medications, older age (OR=1.33; 95%CI:1.15-1.53) was associated with using medications daily. An opposite association was observed for respondents having no paid work (OR=0.48; 95%CI:0.26-0.82). Conclusions Our study suggests that more than half of older persons in Lithuania use medications every day. Use was associated with socioeconomic factors (gender, age, and employment status).