U.S. Adults Concerned about Potential Risks of Prescription
Medications, But Many Not Taking Steps to Decrease Risks
WSJ.com/Harris Interactive Health-Care Study Finds That Only
Half Talk to Their Doctor about Other Drugs
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – April 3, 2008 – A new Wall Street
Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health-Care Poll shows that most U.S. adults
are concerned about the potential side effects of pain medications (79%) and the
potentially harmful interactions between pain medications and other prescription
medications (82%). Additionally, half (52%) of U.S. adults believe the abuse of
prescription medications poses a problem equal to the abuse of illegal drugs.
Information from the DEA asserts that nearly one in ten high school seniors
admit to abusing powerful prescription pain killers, and that opioid painkillers
cause more overdose deaths than cocaine and heroin combined.
These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,027
U.S. adults conducted by Harris Interactive® between February 19 and
21, 2008 for the Wall Street Journal Online’s Health Industry Edition.
Katherine Binns, President of the Health Care Division at
Harris Interactive, said "The news of Heath Ledger’s death being possibly
linked to an overdose of prescription medications recently brought this issue
into the forefront, and it appears that abuse of prescription medications is
becoming an increasing problem in our society. The Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) estimates that nearly seven million Americans abuse
prescription drugs, an increase of 80 percent since 2000, and more than the
number who abuse cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants
combined."
According to our study, almost half of U.S. adults always or
often keep their prescription medications where others cannot access them (46%),
and similar numbers keep a record of prescription medications taken regularly
(42%). These safeguards could help avoid potential problems, yet are not in
place by most adults. Furthermore, a third admit to having ever shared their
prescription medications with family members (31%) and taking higher doses of
prescription pain or other medications than prescribed by their doctor (30%),
although most say they have done these activities only sometimes or rarely.
When prescribed a new prescription, about half (55%) of U.S.
adults say they always or often talk to their doctor about other prescription
drugs they are taking, and about the same percentage (58%) look for information
about potential risks associated with the medication. However, minorities talk
to their doctor about other over-the-counter (OTC) medications (41%) or
nutritional/herbal supplements (28%) they are taking. Even fewer adults talk
their pharmacist about potential interactions with other prescription drugs
(24%), OTC medicines (19%) and nutritional/herbal supplements (13%).
Growing issues related to painkillers and other prescription
medications leads to increased awareness and concern among the public. It will
be interesting to discover in future polls if more adults are taking steps to
help protect themselves and their families from problems associated with
prescription drugs.
TABLE 1
BIGGER PROBLEM: PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS VS. ILLEGAL DRUGS
"Based on what you know or have heard, which do you think
poses a bigger problem in the U.S. – people abusing prescription medications
or illegal drugs?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Total |
|
% |
|
Abusing illegal drugs |
22 |
|
Abusing prescription medications |
18 |
|
Both equally |
52 |
|
Not sure |
7 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
TABLE 2
CONCERNS ABOUT PRESCRIPTION PAIN MEDICATIONS
"Based on what you know or have heard how concerned are
you about…?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Very/ Somewhat Con-cerned
(NET) |
Very
Con-cerned |
Some-
what
Con-cerned |
Not At All/ Not Very Con-cerned
(NET) |
Not
Very
Con-cerned |
Not At
All
Con-cerned |
Not
Sure |
|
The potential side-effects of prescription pain medications |
% |
79 |
38 |
41 |
18 |
12 |
6 |
3 |
|
Potentially harmful interactions between prescription pain medications
and other prescription medicines |
% |
82 |
41 |
41 |
15 |
11 |
5 |
3 |
|
The risk of addiction associated with some prescription pain
medications |
% |
70 |
34 |
36 |
27 |
19 |
8 |
3 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
TABLE 3
MEDICATION HABITS
"How often do you personally do the following?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Ever
(NET) |
Always/ Often/ Some-times
(Sub-Net) |
Always/ Often
(Sub-
Sub-Net) |
Always |
Often |
Some-times |
Rarely |
Never |
|
Keep your prescription medications where others can’t access them |
% |
76 |
61 |
46 |
29 |
17 |
15 |
16 |
24 |
|
Keep a paper or electronic record of all the prescription medications
you take regularly (i.e., how many, how often and what dosages) |
% |
57 |
45 |
32 |
22 |
10 |
13 |
12 |
43 |
|
Share prescription medications with other members of your family |
% |
31 |
12 |
2 |
* |
2 |
10 |
20 |
69 |
|
Take higher doses of prescription pain or other medications than
prescribed by your doctor |
% |
30 |
10 |
1 |
* |
1 |
9 |
20 |
70 |
* = Less than 0.5 percent.
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
TABLE 4
MEDICATION INFORMATION
"When you are prescribed a new prescription drug, how
often do you personally…?"
Base: All Adults
| |
Ever
(NET) |
Always/ Often/ Some
times
(Sub-Net) |
Always/
Often
(Sub-
Sub-Net) |
Always |
Often |
Some-times |
Rarely |
Never |
|
Talk to your doctor about other prescription drugs you are taking |
% |
86 |
78 |
56 |
35 |
20 |
22 |
9 |
14 |
|
Talk to your doctor about over-the-counter medicines that you are
taking |
% |
84 |
71 |
41 |
22 |
19 |
30 |
13 |
16 |
|
Talk to your doctor about nutritional or herbal supplements you are
taking |
% |
68 |
52 |
29 |
16 |
12 |
23 |
16 |
32 |
|
Talk to a pharmacist about other prescription drugs you are taking |
% |
73 |
53 |
25 |
12 |
12 |
29 |
20 |
27 |
|
Talk to a pharmacist about over-the-counter medicines that you are
taking |
% |
71 |
48 |
19 |
8 |
11 |
29 |
23 |
29 |
|
Talk to a pharmacist about nutritional or herbal supplements you are
taking |
% |
53 |
32 |
13 |
5 |
8 |
19 |
22 |
47 |
|
Look for information about the potential risks associated with the
medication |
% |
91 |
83 |
59 |
31 |
27 |
25 |
8 |
9 |
Note: Percentages may not add up exactly to 100% due to rounding.
Methodology
Harris Interactive® conducted this online survey
within the United States between February 19 and 21, 2008 among a national cross
section of 2,027 adults age 18 and over. Figures for age, gender,
race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to
align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to
adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use
probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most
often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage
error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording
and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore,
Harris Interactive avoids the words "margin of error" as they are
misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors
with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100%
response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close
to this ideal.
Respondents for this survey were selected from among those
who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been
weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. adult population. Because the
sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris
Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error
can be calculated.
About The Wall Street Journal Online
The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow
Jones & Company (www.dowjones.com), is the largest paid subscription news
site on the Web with one million subscribers worldwide. Launched in 1996,
WSJ.com attracts a rapidly growing audience of industry leaders and influentials.
The award-winning site provides in-depth business news and financial information
24 hours a day, including breaking business and technology news and analysis
from around the world. It draws on the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900
business and financial news staff – the largest network of business and
financial journalists in the world.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the largest and fastest-growing
market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research,
insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions
which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris
Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest
running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research
methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world’s largest
panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves
clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices, and
through a global network of independent market research firms. More information
about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.
To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be
invited to participate in online surveys, register at
www.harrispollonline.com.
Press Contacts:
Tracey McNerney
Harris Interactive
585-214-756
Ashley Huston
Dow Jones & Company
212-416-2025
Harris Interactive Inc. 2/08
|
