Giornale Italiano di Farmacia Clinica
Volume 25, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 517-526

A pilot epidemiological survey of the characteristics of the exposure of immigrants to pharmaceutical prescriptions [Osservatorio sulla prescrizione farmaceutica alla popolazione immigrata. Caratterizzazione delle coorti e analisi della variabilità regionale] (Article)

Andretta M.* , Cinconze E. , Costa E. , Da Cas R. , Geraci S. , Rossi E. , Tognoni G. , Traversa G.
  • a Società Italiana di Farmacia Ospedaliera e dei Servizi Farmaceutici Delle Aziende Sanitarie, Milano, Italy
  • b CINECA - Consorzio Interuniversitario, Bologna, Italy
  • c Società Italiana di Farmacia Ospedaliera e dei Servizi Farmaceutici Delle Aziende Sanitarie, Milano, Italy
  • d Reparto di Farmacoepidemiologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy
  • e Società Italiana di Medicina Delle Migrazioni, Roma, Italy
  • f CINECA - Consorzio Interuniversitario, Bologna, Italy
  • g Consorzio Mario Negri Sud - Centro di Ricerche Farmacologiche e Biomediche, Santa Maria Imbaro (CH), Italy
  • h Reparto di Farmacoepidemiologia, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Roma, Italy

Abstract

Introduction. Information about immigrants' conditions in Italy are mixed and not sufficiently directed to describe the health status. The project "Observatory on pharmaceutical prescription to the immigrant population" is aimed at describing the access to medicines by the immigrants in Italy, in order to foster the development of health policies consistent with health needs. The present paper is aimed at describing the demographic characteristics of this population by stratifying it in well-defined subpopulations. Material and methods. The standard administrative database from ARNO-CINECA and Umbria Region, which provide the information on drug exposure of the NHS users for the year 2010. Results. In the six Regions examined, immigrants are 10.5% of the overall population: 6.9% born overseas low income countries (LIC); 1.2% born in Italy but LIC citizens; 0.4% immigrants from high income countries, 2.1% new Italian citizens. Their distribution is not homogeneous among Regions, being very low in the South and maximum in Umbria. The age distribution differs among the cohorts: in particular, 96.4% of immigrants born in Italy, but LIC citizens, are under 18 years of age, while in the other cohorts the prevalence of the under 18 ranges from 8% to 10%. This feature corresponds obviously to different drug consumption patterns. Discussion and conclusion. The expected variability of drug exposure associated with age stratification and background regional denominator reminds. Critical importance, for future more analytical investigation, of non-considering the general label of "immigrants" as an homogenous category to be described in terms of means and absolute percentages.

Author Keywords

Accessibility immigrants Epidemiology

Index Keywords

drug use data base health status immigrant age distribution pilot study Italy lowest income group population health care policy demography national health service Article prescription human drug exposure information
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84857489508&partnerID=40&md5=1639a0a6378fa2044988d6907b2b07eb
ISSN: 11203749
Cited by: 1
Original Language: Italian