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QuickStats: Percentage* of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Took Prescription Medication During the Past 12 Months,† by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2021§
Weekly / April 21, 2023 / 72(16);450
* With 95% CIs indicated by error bars.
† Based on a positive response to the question, “At any time in the past 12 months, did you take prescription medication?”
§ Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.
In 2021, 64.8% of adults aged ≥18 years took prescription medication at any time during the past 12 months. The percentage of adults taking prescription medication was lower among men than women overall (58.4% versus 70.9%) and for those aged 18–44 years (38.9% versus 57.8%) and 45–64 years (67.1% versus 75.7%). Among adults aged ≥65 years, men (89.0%) and women (89.3%) were equally likely to take prescription medication. Prescription medication use increased with age, from 48.4% for those aged 18–44 years to 89.2% for those aged ≥65 years, and this pattern of increasing use with age was observed for both men and women.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics; National Health Interview Survey, 2021. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
Reported by: Robin A. Cohen, PhD, [email protected]; Laryssa Mykyta, PhD.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Took Prescription Medication During the Past 12 Months, by Sex and Age Group — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2023;72:450. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7216a7.
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