Factors associated with long-term benzodiazepine use among elderly women and men in Quebec.

The goal of this study was to compare factors associated with long-term benzodiazepine use by elderly women and men (n = 1701) who participated in the Quebec Health Survey (QHS). Data from the 1998 QHS were linked with data from the administrative files of the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec. Results showed that elderly women were more at risk than men for long-term benzodiazepine use.

[Factors associated with short- and long-term use of benzodiazepines in the elderly from Quebec].

In Quebec, benzodiazepines are some of the most extensively used drugs by the elderly. The goal of this study was to identify factors associated with short- and long-term benzodiazepine use among 2,039 elderly persons having participated in the Quebec Health Survey conducted in 1998. Results of the multivariate, multinomial logistic regression showed that a higher number of chronic health problems, a higher number of physicians visited and general practitioners consulted were associated with short- and long-term use of benzodiazepines.

[Anxiolytic, sedative and hypnotic medication use in the elderly living in the community: Developing a conceptual framework].

Inappropriate consumption of anxiolytic, sedative and hypnotic medication (ASH) in the elderly is an important public health issue. Almost 35 % of the elderly population living at home take these medications, approximately 206 days per year. According to Quebec data, people who are 65 and older take five times more ASH than people between 18 and 64.