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. Results of the multivariate logistic regression did not show a significant difference between women and men on any of the risk factors studied. Other factors such as elderly and physician attitudes deserve further study to explain differences in long-term benzodiazepine use between elderly women and men.

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. Factors specifically associated with long-term use were female gender (OR = 1.84) and the presence of benzodiazepine users in the household (OR = 1.90). In this study, we were unable to show a difference between the two groups of users with regards to the risk factors studied. This result leads us to conclude that prevention of long-term use must be aimed at all new benzodiazepine users.

La consommation non appropriée d’anxiolytiques, de sédatifs et d’hypnotiques (ASH) chez les personnes âgées est un problème de santé publique important. Près de 35 % de la population âgée vivant à domicile consomment ces médicaments, en moyenne 206 jours par an. Selon les données québécoises, les personnes âgées de plus de 65 ans consomment cinq fois plus d’ASH que les individus âgés entre 18 et 64 ans. L’utilisation des ASH ne serait pas uniquement déterminée par la présence de symptômes, mais aussi par les caractéristiques psychosociales des sujets. En outre, plusieurs chercheurs ont suggéré que l’entourage et le système de soins étaient des facteurs environnementaux pouvant faciliter ou inhiber la consommation de ces médicaments chez les personnes âgées. Un cadre conceptuel est proposé pour aider à spécifier adéquatement les diverses hypothèses explicatives de ce comportement social de santé et, par conséquent, pour aider à mieux cibler les interventions visant à le modifier.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. The use of ASH would not only be determined by the presence of symptoms, but also by psychosocial characteristics of the subjects. Moreover, several researchers have suggested that the family as well as the health system were environmental factors that could facilitate or inhibit consumption of these medications in the elderly. A conceptual framework is proposed to help specify more adequately the various explanatory hypotheses of this social health behavior and, consequently, better target interventions aiming at its modiffication.El consumo no apropiado de ansiolíticos, sedantes e hipnóticos (ASH) en las personas de edad avanzada es un problema de salud pública importante. Cerca de 35% de la población de edad avanzada que vive en su casa consume estos medicamentos, en promedio 206 días al año. Según los datos quebequenses, las personas de más de 65 años consumen cinco veces más de ASH que los individuos entre 18 y 64 años. La utilización de ASH no está únicamente determinada por la presencia de síntomas, sino también por las características psicosociales de los pacientes. Además, varios investigadores han sugerido que el entorno y el sistema de salud son factores ambientales que pueden facilitar o inhibir el consumo de estos medicamentos en las personas de edad avanzada. Se propone un marco conceptual para ayudar a especificar adecuadamente las diversas hipótesis que explican este comportamiento social de salud y, por consiguiente, para ayudar a identificar mejor las intervenciones que buscan modificarlo.O consumo não apropriado de ansiolíticos, sedativos e soníferos (ASH) em pessoas idosas é um problema de saúde pública importante. Cerca de 35% da população idosa que vive em casa consome est...