Title: |
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Trends in Children's Antibiotic Use: 1996 to 2001 |
Publication date (print version): |
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March 2005 |
Description: |
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This report uses nationally representative data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) to examine antibiotic use by U.S. children for the years 1996-2001. From 1996 to 2001, the proportion of children who used an antibiotic during the year declined from 39.0 percent to 29.0 percent and the average number of antibiotic prescriptions for children declined from 0.9 to 0.5 per child. Use of antibiotics in the treatment of otitis media also declined. The proportion of all children for whom an antibiotic was prescribed to treat otitis media fell from 14.4 percent in 1996 to 11.5 percent in 2001. Trends in antibiotic use for subgroups of children defined by age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, insurance status, health status, and geography are also examined. From 1996-97 to 2000-01, the percentage of children with antibiotic use and the average number of prescriptions declined in each of the population subgroups under consideration. |
Author(s): |
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G. Edward Miller, Ph.D., and William A. Carroll, B.S. |
Agency: |
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Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality |