Regional variation in the use of medications by older Canadians-a persistent and incompletely understood phenomena

Background We have previously reported on regional variability in medication consumption by older Canadians. In this study, we used longitudinal data to determine whether regional differences in commonly consumed medications persisted and to explore potential explanatory factors for observed differences. Methods We utilized data from the second phase of the Canadian Study of Health and Aging to assess the number, types, and variability of medications used between regions. Linear and logistic regressions (LRs) were used to predict the number of medications and the use of specific agents where significant regional variability was found to exist. Results There were significant regional differences in the number of medications consumed and in the prevalence of use of acetaminophen (p