Self-medication with over-the-counter drugs and complementary medications in South Australia's elderly population

Table 1 Characteristics of participants at waves 1, 3, 6 and 7

	1992-1993		1994-1995		2000-2001		2003-2004
	Wave 1	N = 2087	Wave 3	N = 1679	Wave 6	N = 791	Wave 7	N = 487
Variable	N	%	N	%	N	%	N	%
Age (years)
65-79	1224	58.6	893	53.2	216	27.3	47	9.7
80+	863	41.4	786	46.8	575	72.7	440	90.3
Gender
Female	1031	49.4	854	50.9	456	57.6	303	62.2
Male	1056	50.6	825	49.1	335	42.4	184	37.8
Education (Age when left school)
<14 years	336	16.3	262	15.4	105	13.3	65	13.4
≥ 14 years	1725	83.7	1399	84.6	684	86.7	420	86.6
Missing	26		18		2		2
Tertiary education
Yes	700	33.9	570	34.2	278	35.2	177	36.5
No	1367	66.1	1096	65.8	512	64.8	308	63.5
Missing	20		13		1		2
Income Level
<$12,000	686	35.5	559	40.9	165	30.3	116	35.6
$12,000 - $30,000	1083	56.1	719	52.6	312	57.4	146	44.8
>$30,000	161	8.3	90	6.6	67	12.3	64	19.6
Missing	157		311		247		161
Self-rated health
Excellent	191	9.2	129	8.2	64	9.8	16	3.9
Very Good	599	28.8	410	25.9	181	27.7	85	20.5
Good	633	30.4	534	33.8	224	34.3	171	41.2
Fair	477	22.9	403	25.5	147	22.5	113	27.2
Poor	181	8.7	106	6.7	37	5.7	30	7.2
Missing	6		97		138		72

ISSN: 2662-7671