Characteristics of the respondents (n=29 465) according to study year. The percentages are calculated from the total number of the respondents each year or of the respondents reporting use of at least one prescription or non-prescription medicine within 7 days prior to survey (n=18 862)*
| Characteristics | Study years | ||||||||||
| Total† n (%) | 1999 n (%) | 2002 n (%) | 2005 n (%) | 2008 n (%) | 2009 n (%) | 2010 n (%) | 2011 n (%) | 2012 n (%) | 2013 n (%) | 2014 n (%) | |
| Number of respondents (response rate) | 29 465 (59) | 3371 (67) | 3259 (65) | 3287 (66) | 3216 (64) | 2943 (59) | 2826 (57) | 2787 (56) | 2601 (52) | 2545 (51) | 2630 (53) |
| Respondents using medicines‡ | 18 862 (64) | 1944 (58) | 2000 (61) | 2038 (62) | 2101 (65) | 1957 (66) | 1871 (66) | 1844 (66) | 1759 (68) | 1677 (66) | 1671 (64) |
| Gender§ | |||||||||||
| Female | 11 859 (63) | 1217 (63) | 1278 (64) | 1258 (62) | 1332 (63) | 1235 (63) | 1181 (63) | 1128 (61) | 1101 (63) | 1061 (63) | 1068 (64) |
| Male | 7003 (37) | 727 (37) | 722 (36) | 780 (38) | 769 (37) | 722 (37) | 690 (37) | 716 (39) | 658 (37) | 616 (37) | 603 (36) |
| Age (years)§ | |||||||||||
| 15–24 | 2535 (13) | 314 (16) | 308 (15) | 269 (13) | 270 (13) | 263 (13) | 255 (14) | 231 (13) | 211 (12) | 199 (12) | 215 (13) |
| 25–34 | 2798 (15) | 331 (17) | 308 (15) | 302 (15) | 305 (15) | 287 (15) | 258 (14) | 277 (15) | 251 (14) | 240 (14) | 239 (14) |
| 35–44 | 3409 (18) | 419 (22) | 411 (21) | 394 (19) | 376 (18) | 335 (17) | 304 (16) | 318 (17) | 292 (17) | 275 (16) | 285 (17) |
| 45–54 | 4558 (24) | 481 (25) | 486 (24) | 491 (24) | 490 (23) | 460 (24) | 484 (26) | 438 (24) | 430 (24) | 411 (25) | 387 (23) |
| 55–64 | 5562 (29) | 399 (21) | 487 (24) | 582 (29) | 660 (31) | 612 (31) | 570 (31) | 580 (32) | 575 (32) | 552 (33) | 545 (33) |
| Mean age (SD) | 43.8 (14.2) | 41.2 (13.9) | 42.1 (14.0) | 43.6 (14.0) | 44.3 (14.1) | 44.2 (14.3) | 44.3 (14.3) | 44.4 (14.1) | 44.9 (14.1) | 45.0 (14.1) | 44.6 (14.3) |
| Education§ | |||||||||||
| Primary school or lower (≤9 years) | 3048 (16) | 499 (26) | 444 (23) | 402 (20) | 351 (17) | 306 (16) | 253 (14) | 226 (12) | 222 (13) | 170 (10) | 175 (11) |
| Higher than primary school (>9 years) | 15 495 (84) | 1420 (74) | 1499 (77) | 1608 (80) | 1705 (83) | 1621 (84) | 1590 (86) | 1591 (88) | 1517 (87) | 1482 (90) | 1462 (89) |
| Respondents using medicines for§ | |||||||||||
| Headache | 9806 (52) | 1039 (53) | 1032 (52) | 1026 (50) | 1073 (51) | 1024 (52) | 980 (52) | 981 (53) | 901 (51) | 866 (52) | 884 (53) |
| Ache, pain (other than headache) | 5467 (29) | 556 (29) | 549 (28) | 592 (29) | 604 (29) | 541 (28) | 531 (29) | 550 (30) | 544 (31) | 508 (30) | 492 (29) |
| High blood pressure | 4077 (22) | 291 (15) | 367 (18) | 429 (21) | 465 (22) | 450 (23) | 434 (23) | 446 (24) | 409 (23) | 395 (24) | 391 (23) |
| Contraception (oral) | 2310 (12) | 264 (14) | 296 (15) | 247 (12) | 258 (12) | 238 (12) | 223 (12) | 193 (11) | 188 (11) | 199 (12) | 204 (12) |
| High blood cholesterol | 2196 (12) | 98 (5) | 143 (7) | 217 (11) | 263 (13) | 296 (15) | 290 (16) | 235 (13) | 217 (12) | 211 (13) | 226 (14) |
| Women’s hormone replacement therapy | 2036 (11) | 233 (12) | 266 (13) | 233 (11) | 222 (11) | 188 (10) | 188 (10) | 166 (9) | 198 (11) | 174 (10) | 168 (10) |
| Cough | 1316 (7) | 220 (11) | 186 (9) | 168 (8) | 160 (8) | 113 (6) | 77 (4) | 111 (6) | 101 (6) | 103 (6) | 77 (5) |
| Insomnia | 1497 (8) | 136 (7) | 153 (8) | 153 (8) | 179 (9) | 177 (9) | 140 (8) | 139 (8) | 134 (8) | 146 (9) | 140 (8) |
| Sedation | 915 (5) | 133 (7) | 93 (5) | 121 (6) | 102 (5) | 94 (5) | 70 (4) | 85 (5) | 76 (4) | 69 (4) | 72 (4) |
| Men’s sexual potency dysfunction | 252 (1) | 13 (1) | 20 (1) | 28 (1) | 26 (1) | 21 (1) | 26 (1) | 37 (2) | 34 (2) | 19 (1) | 28 (2) |
| Depression¶ | 1314 (7) | – | 111 (6) | 143 (7) | 148 (7) | 176 (9) | 136 (5) | 147 (8) | 173 (10) | 134 (8) | 146 (9) |
| Diabetes (other than insulin)** | 705 (4) | – | – | 72 (4) | 82 (4) | 88 (4) | 88 (5) | 80 (4) | 98 (6) | 91 (5) | 106 (6) |
| Diabetes (insulin)** | 361 (2) | – | – | 46 (2) | 49 (2) | 46 (2) | 47 (3) | 51 (3) | 36 (2) | 50 (3) | 36 (2) |
| Number of medicines in use/person§ | |||||||||||
| 1 | 10 558 (56) | 1215 (63) | 1183 (59) | 1143 (56) | 1154 (55) | 1060 (54) | 1029 (55) | 1011 (55) | 946 (54) | 907 (54) | 910 (54) |
| 2 | 5116 (27) | 505 (26) | 559 (28) | 566 (28) | 584 (28) | 536 (27) | 512 (27) | 491 (27) | 492 (28) | 442 (26) | 429 (26) |
| 3 | 1984 (11) | 161 (8) | 166 (8) | 198 (10) | 221 (11) | 220 (11) | 210 (11) | 210 (11) | 191 (11) | 208 (12) | 199 (12) |
| >3 | 1204 (6) | 63 (3) | 92 (5) | 131 (6) | 142 (7) | 141 (7) | 120 (6) | 132 (7) | 130 (7) | 120 (7) | 133 (8) |
| Respondents with diagnosed diseases§,†† | |||||||||||
| High blood pressure, hypertension | 4297 (23) | 345 (18) | 426 (21) | 465 (23) | 496 (24) | 478 (24) | 443 (24) | 468 (25) | 421 (24) | 379 (22) | 376 (23) |
| Degenerative disc disease, other back illness | 2712 (14) | 262 (14) | 284 (14) | 314 (15) | 321 (15) | 263 (13) | 260 (14) | 272 (15) | 260 (15) | 227 (14) | 249 (15) |
| Asthma | 1163 (6) | 113 (6) | 114 (6) | 112 (6) | 120 (6) | 132 (7) | 125 (7) | 113 (6) | 120 (7) | 99 (6) | 115 (7) |
| Digestive illness (gastric catarrh, gastritis, ulcer) | 904 (5) | 96 (5) | 97 (5) | 108 (5) | 110 (5) | 93 (5) | 91 (5) | 70 (4) | 85 (5) | 89 (5) | 65 (4) |
| Coronary disease, angina pectoris (=chest pain during exercise) | 414 (2) | 66 (3) | 48 (2) | 52 (3) | 47 (2) | 35 (2) | 41 (2) | 34 (2) | 31 (2) | 26 (2) | 30 (2) |
| Diabetes | 1092 (6) | 50 (2) | 78 (4) | 113 (6) | 121 (6) | 129 (7) | 121 (7) | 110 (6) | 124 (7) | 108 (6) | 138 (8) |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 396 (2) | 46 (2) | 36 (2) | 37 (2) | 46 (2) | 37 (2) | 40 (2) | 41 (2) | 44 (3) | 37 (2) | 32 (2) |
| Chronic bronchitis, pulmonary emphysema | 322 (2) | 34 (2) | 30 (2) | 35 (2) | 38 (2) | 52 (3) | 28 (2) | 36 (2) | 20 (1) | 22 (1) | 27 (2) |
| Coronary thrombosis, myocardial infarction | 118 (1) | 9 (1) | 13 (1) | 13 (1) | 13 (1) | 8 (<1) | 11 (1) | 17 (1) | 10 (1) | 9 (1) | 15 (1) |
| High blood cholesterol¶ | 2913 (17) | – | 267 (13) | 338 (17) | 356 (17) | 409 (21) | 368 (20) | 319 (17) | 282 (16) | 287 (16) | 287 (17) |
| Depression** | 1242 (8) | – | – | 173 (9) | 175 (8) | 178 (9) | 134 (7) | 150 (8) | 161 (9) | 124 (7) | 147 (9) |
| Other mental health disorder** | 534 (4) | – | – | 64 (3) | 73 (4) | 66 (3) | 47 (3) | 82 (4) | 65 (4) | 73 (4) | 64 (4) |
| Cancer** | 206 (1) | – | – | 29 (1) | 26 (1) | 26 (1) | 28 (2) | 23 (1) | 34 (2) | 23 (1) | 17 (1) |
| Hay or allergic rhinitis‡‡ | 2044 (16) | – | – | – | 340 (16) | 292 (15) | 275 (15) | 272 (15) | 283 (16) | 275 (16) | 307 (18) |
| Food allergy‡‡ | 580 (5) | – | – | – | 85 (4) | 84 (4) | 92 (4) | 78 (4) | 85 (5) | 72 (4) | 84 (5) |
| Number of diagnosed diseases/person§,†† | |||||||||||
| 0 | 8590 (46) | 1228 (63) | 1121 (56) | 971 (48) | 850 (40) | 772 (39) | 796 (43) | 746 (40) | 705 (42) | 721 (42) | 689 (41) |
| 1 | 5176 (27) | 502 (26) | 527 (26) | 593 (29) | 605 (29) | 546 (28) | 482 (26) | 517 (28) | 499 (28) | 455 (27) | 450 (27) |
| 2 | 2924 (16) | 151 (8) | 232 (12) | 270 (13) | 367 (17) | 358 (22) | 335 (18) | 345 (19) | 302 (17) | 279 (17) | 285 (17) |
| >2 | 2172 (12) | 63 (3) | 120 (6) | 204 (10) | 279 (13) | 281 (14) | 258 (14) | 236 (13) | 253 (14) | 231 (14) | 247 (15) |
*Discrepancies in totals are due to rounding errors.
†Calculated from study years available.
‡Percentages have been calculated from the respondents of each year.
§Percentages have been calculated from the respondents of each year who reported using medicines, including prescription and non-prescription medicines (list in the survey) during the last week (7 days).
¶Added to the survey instrument in 2002.
**Added to the survey instrument in 2005.
††Respondents who had a disease (list in the survey) diagnosed by a physician during the last year (12 months).
‡‡Added to the survey instrument in 2008.