Susanne Mayer|August Österle
Socioeconomic determinants of prescribed and non-prescribed medicine consumption in Austria
Medical University of Vienna
equitable access health care goal subscribed many european economies growing body literature studies socioeconomic inequalities health service use relatively little still known inequalities medicine consumption background study investigates socioeconomic determinants medicine use austrian contextmultivariate logistic regressions estimated based european health interview survey including representative information austrian population age 25 n 13 291 20062007 dependent variables used prescribed nonprescribed medicine consumption well prescribed polypharmacy socioeconomic status operationalized employment status education net equivalent income health indicators selfassessed health chronic conditions demographic characteristics age sex outpatient visits included control variablessocioeconomic status revealed opposing utilization patterns individuals higher education income likely consume nonprescribed medicines less educated likely take prescribed medicines lower socioeconomic groups also showed higher likelihood prescribed polypharmacy consumption medicine types main socioeconomic determinant high income additional analysis lower socioeconomic groups found likely report prescription purposes main reason consulting practitionerthese results point different behavioural responses ill health least determined institutional incentives austrian health care system