Evolution of medication consumption in a working environment in France: Results of the four waves of the “Drugs and Work” study (1986–2016)

Objectives Previous studies in the working environment have underlined the high prevalence of drug consumption. The aim of this study was to present the main characteristics of this consumption in French workers and to identify changes from the 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016 surveys. Methods The design was a repeated cross‐sectional study in 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016. At each wave, demographic and socio‐professional characteristics, self‐reported consumption of medications during the week before the occupational medical visit, and perceived difficult working conditions and extraprofessional problems were collected among a sample of workers. Factors associated with consumption of any drug and of main therapeutic classes were investigated through multivariate logistic regression models, using 2016 as the reference for investigating temporal trends. Results Prevalence of use of any drug was significantly higher in 2016, with marked changes observed in comparison with 1986: absolute decrease of psychotropic (−5.1%, p