MOSCOW, November 18 (Sputnik) – Use of prescription drugs is "clearly higher" among women in Europe and Mediterranean, research published by the Council of Europe's (COE) drug policy group revealed Tuesday.
"Rates for prescription drug use have been shown to be clearly higher for women across most age groups and across time periods," the report, aimed at highlighting the role of gender in Non-Medical Use of Prescription Drugs (NMUPD) said.
The survey of 17 European and Mediterranean countries funded by Italy's Anti-Drug Department – though incomplete and exploratory as a first study of its kind, according to its authors – pointed to "women as a high risk category for NMUPD".
While the study provides irrefutable evidence of disproportionately higher usage of prescription drugs among women, the gender gap for non-medical use is obscure due to incomplete data and varying results. In addition, although the report found higher NMUPD levels for women in Greece and Lithuania, it showed opposite results in Israel and Lebanon.
The Council of Europe's press release for the Gender Dimension of NMUPD in Europe and the Mediterranean Region comes ahead of its press briefing, scheduled for Wednesday in Strasbourg.
