Prevalence of Methylphenidate Prescription among School-Aged Children in a Swiss Population: Increase in the Number of Prescriptions in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, from 2002 to 2005, and Changes in Patient Demographics

Autor/inn/en	Gumy, Cedric; Huissoud, Therese; Dubois-Arber, Francoise
Titel	Prevalence of Methylphenidate Prescription among School-Aged Children in a Swiss Population: Increase in the Number of Prescriptions in the Swiss Canton of Vaud, from 2002 to 2005, and Changes in Patient Demographics
Quelle	In: Journal of Attention Disorders, 14 (2010) 3, S.267-272 (6 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1087-0547
DOI	10.1177/1087054709356386
Schlagwörter	Incidence; Public Health; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Geographic Location; Foreign Countries; Drug Therapy; Databases; Trend Analysis; Children; Gender Differences; Socioeconomic Status; Switzerland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Vorkommen; Gesundheitswesen; Ausland; Datenbank; Trendanalyse; Child; Kind; Kinder; Geschlechterkonflikt; Socio-economic status; Sozioökonomischer Status; Schweiz
Abstract	Objective: Methylphenidate is prescribed for children and adolescents to treat ADHD. As in many Western countries, the increase in methylphenidate consumption is a public concern in Switzerland. The article discusses the authors' assessment of prescription prevalence in 2002 and 2005 for school-aged children in the canton of Vaud. Method: Pharmacy prescription information is available from the regional public health authority. Descriptive analyses are conducted on an anonymized database of the years 2002 and 2005. Data for each year are compared to assess trends in methylphenidate prescription prevalence. Results: The findings show an increase from 0.74% to 1.02% in the number of prescriptions for 5- to 14-year-old children, particularly in prescriptions for girls. Data also show important geographical differences in prescription. Conclusion: The prevalence of methylphenidate prescription is lower in Switzerland than other Western countries, particularly the United States. However, some aspects of prevalence are similar, including the increase per year, demographics, and geographic characteristics. (Contains 3 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10