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QuickStats: Percentage* of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Were Prescribed Medication in the Past 12 Months,† by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey,§ 2017
Weekly / February 1, 2019 / 68(4);97
* With 95% confidence intervals indicated by error bars.
† Based on a positive response to the question “During the past 12 months, were you prescribed medication by a doctor or other health professional?”
§ Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population and are derived from the National Health Interview Survey Sample Adult component.
In 2017, 57.9% of adults aged 18–64 years and 86.1% of adults aged ≥65 years were prescribed medication in the past 12 months. Overall and for both men and women separately, receipt of a prescription increased with age. Among both age groups, a greater percentage of women were prescribed medication than men, with 64.3% of women and 51.3% of men aged 18–64 years and 87.1% of women and 85.0% of men aged ≥65 years having been prescribed medication.
Source: National Health Interview Survey, 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm.
Reported by: Peter Boersma, MPH, ots6@cdc.gov, 301-458-4101; Robin A. Cohen, PhD; Anjel Vahratian, PhD.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Were Prescribed Medication in the Past 12 Months, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, 2017. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:97. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6804a6.
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