| Variable | Sedative use, no. (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonuse n = 2 837 834 | Short-term use n = 206 059 | Long-term use* n = 172 276 | |
| Using benzodiazepines† | 0 (0.0) | 142 061 (68.9) | 98 107 (57.0) |
| Using z-drugs† | 0 (0.0) | 79 053 (38.4) | 87 840 (51.0) |
| Sex | |||
| Female | 1 411 861 (49.8) | 132 318 (64.2) | 109 264 (63.4) |
| Male | 1 425 973 (50.3) | 73 741 (35.8) | 63 012 (36.6) |
| Age, yr | |||
| 18-44 | 1 246 832 (43.9) | 66 602 (32.3) | 22 459 (13.0) |
| 45-64 | 1 028 052 (36.2) | 86 474 (42.0) | 71 086 (41.3) |
| 65-84 | 487 515 (17.2) | 47 057 (22.8) | 65 313 (37.9) |
| ≥ 85 | 75 435 (2.7) | 5926 (2.9) | 13 418 (7.8) |
| Count of major ADGs | |||
| 0 | 1 938 119 (68.3) | 94 655 (45.9) | 54 917 (31.9) |
| 1-2 | 809 027 (28.5) | 90 995 (44.2) | 88 901 (51.6) |
| ≥ 3 | 90 688 (3.2) | 20 409 (9.9) | 28 458 (16.5) |
| Count of minor ADGs | |||
| 0-1 | 996 680 (35.1) | 16 131 (7.8) | 8700 (5.1) |
| 2-3 | 866 290 (30.5) | 51 610 (25.1) | 34 445 (20.0) |
| 4-5 | 578 867 (20.4) | 60 936 (29.6) | 48 277 (28.0) |
| ≥ 6 | 395 997 (14.0) | 77 382 (37.6) | 80 854 (46.9) |
| Income quintile | |||
| 1 (lowest) | 564 644 (19.9) | 49 035 (23.8) | 55 597 (32.3) |
| 2 | 589 608 (20.8) | 38 898 (18.9) | 36 131 (21.0) |
| 3 | 545 222 (19.2) | 33 156 (16.1) | 25 568 (14.8) |
| 4 | 574 352 (20.2) | 37 345 (18.1) | 25 379 (14.7) |
| 5 (highest) | 564 008 (19.9) | 47 625 (23.1) | 29 601 (17.2) |
| Relationship status | |||
| Marriage-like relationship§ | 1 553 729 (54.8) | 114 960 (55.8) | 88 367 (51.3) |
| Single | 1 284 105 (45.3) | 91 099 (44.2) | 83 909 (48.7) |
| Ethnicity | |||
| Other | 2 357 019 (83.1) | 185 958 (90.3) | 161 502 (93.8) |
| Chinese | 346 159 (12.2) | 11 033 (5.4) | 6733 (3.9) |
| South Asian | 134 656 (4.8) | 9068 (4.4) | 4041 (2.4) |
| Neighbourhood urbanization | |||
| Urban | 2 682 538 (94.5) | 194 214 (94.3) | 161 061 (93.5) |
| Rural | 155 296 (5.5) | 11 845 (5.8) | 11 215 (6.5) |
Note: ADG = Aggregated Diagnostic Group.
*Defined by the filling of prescriptions containing a total of 90 or more days' supply of sedative during the calendar year.
†Drugs included as benzodiazepines and z-drugs are provided in Appendix 1.
‡ADGs map International Classification of Disease, 9th and 10th revisions, codes into 32 mutually exclusive groups based on similar levels of severity, persistence and health resource requirements. Of these groups, 8 have very high expected resource use and are labelled as major ADGs. Remaining ADGs are considered minor.
§Marriage-like relationships include common-law and married relationships between 2 same-sex or opposite-sex adults.