# Gender and medication use in Turkey: Evidence from a general population survey

## TL;DR

This study finds that women in Turkey use both prescribed and non-prescribed medications more than men, highlighting the need for gender-specific health policies.

## Contribution

The study provides new evidence on gender differences in medication use in Turkey using nationally representative data.

## Key findings

- Females were 19.4% more likely to use prescribed medication and 30.8% more likely to use non-prescribed medication than males.
- Higher self-rated health status was associated with lower use of prescribed medication.
- Both prescribed and non-prescribed medication use were positively linked to healthcare service use.

## Abstract

Gender differences in health behaviors and outcomes were commonly documented by researchers. The focus of this study was the analysis of gender differences in medication use for a general population in Turkey. It also explored a range of factors associated with medication use at the individual level. A nationally representative cross-sectional data set was obtained from the 2019 wave of the Turkish Health Survey. The sample of this study included 17,083 adults residing in different regions of Turkey. Conditional mixed-process regression models were estimated for the whole sample and subsamples by gender. The rates of prescribed and non-prescribed medication use were 40.7% and 30.2%, respectively, in the adult population of Turkey. There were significant gender differences in medication use in the Turkish case. Females were 19.4% more likely to use prescribed medication, and they were 30.8% more likely to use non-prescribed medication compared to males in Turkey. There were negative associations between prescribed and non-prescribed medication use. On average, females were 9.2% less likely to report higher levels of health status, and they were 18.4% more likely to use healthcare services. Individuals with higher levels of self-rated health status were less likely to use prescribed medication. Both prescribed and non-prescribed medication use were positively related to healthcare service use. Complementing the earlier literature, the results of the present study demonstrated that gender-specific designs should be considered by health policies on the use of medications.