January 10, 2008 |
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About 3.1 million persons aged 12 to 25 (5.3 percent) had misused OTC cough and cold medications at least once in their lifetime (Table 1). Young adults aged 18 to 25 were more likely than youths aged 12 to 17 to have misused OTC cough and cold medications in their lifetime (6.5 vs. 3.7 percent).
Demographic Characteristic | Lifetime | Past Year | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Percent | Standard Error |
Percent | Standard Error |
|
Total Aged 12 to 25 | 5.3% | 0.15 | 1.7% | 0.08 |
Age Group | ||||
12 to 17 | 3.7% | 0.16 | 1.9% | 0.12 |
18 to 25 | 6.5% | 0.24 | 1.6% | 0.12 |
Gender | ||||
Male | 5.6% | 0.22 | 1.7% | 0.12 |
Female | 4.9% | 0.20 | 1.7% | 0.12 |
Age Group, by Gender | ||||
12 to 17, Male | 3.0% | 0.20 | 1.5% | 0.14 |
12 to 17, Female | 4.3% | 0.24 | 2.3% | 0.18 |
18 to 25, Male | 7.7% | 0.35 | 1.8% | 0.17 |
18 to 25, Female | 5.4% | 0.29 | 1.3% | 0.16 |
Race/Ethnicity* | ||||
White | 6.2% | 0.20 | 2.1% | 0.12 |
Black or African American | 2.5% | 0.29 | 0.6% | 0.13 |
Hispanic or Latino | 4.7% | 0.36 | 1.4% | 0.18 |
Source: SAMHSA, 2006 NSDUH. |
Among persons aged 12 to 25 who had ever misused OTC cough and cold medications, 81.9 percent also were lifetime users of marijuana (Figure 1). Slightly less than half were lifetime users of the hallucinogens LSD, PCP, or Ecstasy (44.2 percent) or were lifetime users of inhalants (49.3 percent). Youths and young adults who had ever misused OTC cough and cold medications had comparable lifetime rates of inhalant use. However, young adults who had ever misused OTC cough and cold medications were more likely than the corresponding youths to have ever used marijuana or the hallucinogens LSD, PCP, or Ecstasy. Males aged 12 to 25 who had ever misused OTC cough and cold medications were more likely than their female counterparts to have used LSD, PCP, or Ecstasy (data not shown). Males and females who had ever misused these medications had similar rates of lifetime use of marijuana and inhalants.
Age | Marijuana | Inhalants | LSD, PCP, or Ecstasy |
---|---|---|---|
12 to 17 | 67.6% | 48.3% | 22.4% |
18 to 25 | 88.1% | 49.8% | 53.7% |
12 to 25 | 81.9% | 49.3% | 44.2% |
Source: SAMHSA, 2006 NSDUH. |
Nearly 1 million persons aged 12 to 25 (1.7 percent) misused OTC cough and cold medications in the past year (Table 1). Unlike the pattern for lifetime misuse, youths aged 12 to 17 were more likely than young adults aged 18 to 25 to have misused OTC cough and cold medications in the past year (1.9 vs. 1.6 percent). Males and females aged 12 to 25 had the same rate of past year misuse of these medications (1.7 percent). When examined separately for adolescents and young adults, however, the patterns varied by gender. Among youths aged 12 to 17, females were more likely than males to have misused OTC cough and cold medications in the past year (2.3 vs. 1.5 percent). Among young adults aged 18 to 25, however, males were more likely than females to have misused these medications (1.8 vs. 1.3 percent).
The rate of past year misuse of OTC cough and cold medications among whites aged 12 to 25 (2.1 percent) was about 3 times higher than the rate among blacks (0.6 percent) and was also higher than the rate among Hispanics (1.4 percent).8 In this age group, Hispanics also were more likely than blacks to be past year misusers. Rates of past year misuse among persons aged 12 to 25 did not differ significantly by county type or region.
Among persons aged 12 to 25 who had misused an OTC cough and cold medication in the past year, 30.5 percent misused a NyQuil® product, 18.1 percent misused a Coricidin® product, and 17.8 percent misused a Robitussin® product (Figure 2). More than 40 percent of the misusers in this age group misused any of a wide variety of other OTC medications.7
Over-the-Counter Cough or Cold Medication | Percent |
---|---|
NyQuil® Products | 30.5% |
Corcidin® Products | 18.1% |
Robitussin® Products | 17.8% |
Other OTC Medications | 38.6% |
Source: SAMHSA, 2006 NSDUH. |
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is an annual survey sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The 2006 data used in this report are based on information obtained from 44,819 persons aged 12 to 25. The survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a representative sample of the population through face-to-face interviews at their place of residence. The NSDUH Report is prepared by the Office of Applied Studies (OAS), SAMHSA, and by RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. (RTI International is a trade name of Research Triangle Institute.) Information on NSDUH used in compiling data for this report is available in the following publication: Office of Applied Studies. (2007). Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National findings (DHHS Publication No. SMA 07-4293, NSDUH Series H-32). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Also available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Because of improvements and modifications to the 2002 NSDUH, estimates from the 2002 through 2006 surveys should not be compared with estimates from the 2001 or earlier versions of the survey to examine changes over time. |
The NSDUH Report is published periodically by the Office of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Additional copies of this report or other reports from the Office of Applied Studies are available online: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov. Citation of the source is appreciated. For questions about this report, please e-mail: shortreports@samhsa.hhs.gov. |
This page was last updated on December 30, 2008. |
SAMHSA, an agency in the Department of Health and Human Services, is the Federal Government's lead agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the United States.
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