Vi T Le1, Abigail Norris Turner2, Anne McDaniel3, Kenneth M Hale4, Christina Athas3, Nicole C Kwiek5. 1. a College of Public Health , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio , USA. 2. b Division of Infectious Diseases, College of Medicine , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio , USA. 3. c The Center for the Study of Student Life, Office of Student Life , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio , USA. 4. d Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio , USA. 5. e Division of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy , The Ohio State University , Columbus , Ohio , USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications (NMUOTC) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). PARTICIPANTS: University students surveyed on NMUOTC and NMUPD between August and December 2011 (N = 939). METHODS: Cross-sectional data analysis of online survey. RESULTS: The majority of respondents were women, undergraduate, Caucasian, and not affiliated with Greek life. NMUPD and NMUOTC were reported by 21.4% and 11.2% of students, respectively. NMUOTC was significantly associated with NMUPD in unadjusted analyses and after adjustment for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and Greek membership (odds ratio: 3.37, 95% confidence interval: 2.17, 5.23). Secondary analyses showed a relationship between over-the-counter (OTC) cough medication misuse and NMUPD, OTC stimulant misuse and prescription stimulant misuse, and OTC sleep aid misuse with prescription depressant misuse. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance of both measuring the prevalence of OTC misuse and incorporating its misuse into assessments of polydrug use in the university population.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between nonmedical use of over-the-counter medications (NMUOTC) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD). PARTICIPANTS: University students surveyed on NMUOTC and NMUPD between August and December 2011 (N = 939). METHODS: Cross-sectional data analysis of online survey. RESULTS: The majority of respondents were women, undergraduate, Caucasian, and not affiliated with Greek life. NMUPD and NMUOTC were reported by 21.4% and 11.2% of students, respectively. NMUOTC was significantly associated with NMUPD in unadjusted analyses and after adjustment for gender, age, race/ethnicity, and Greek membership (odds ratio: 3.37, 95% confidence interval: 2.17, 5.23). Secondary analyses showed a relationship between over-the-counter (OTC) cough medication misuse and NMUPD, OTC stimulant misuse and prescription stimulant misuse, and OTC sleep aid misuse with prescription depressant misuse. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest the importance of both measuring the prevalence of OTC misuse and incorporating its misuse into assessments of polydrug use in the university population.
Entities:
Keywords:
Community health; over-the-counter misuse; prescription medication misuse; substance abuse
Authors: Henry N Young; Farah Pathan; Jaxk H Reeves; Kristen N Knight; FuNing Chen; Elizabeth D Cox; Megan A Moreno Journal: J Am Coll Health Date: 2019-10-29