Prescription Medication Use Among Normal Weight, Overweight, and Obese Adults, United States, 2005–2008

PurposeWe sought to describe differences between normal weight, overweight, and obese adults in use of specific prescription medication classes.MethodsCross-sectional analysis of prescription medication use among 9789 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative sample of the United States.ResultsIn 2005–2008, 56.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 54.6–58.3) of adults used 1+ prescription medication. Approximately one-quarter of adults used a hypertension medication (26.1%; 95% CI, 24.5%–27.8%). The use of hypertension medications increased with increasing weight status (normal weight: 17.2%; 95% CI, 15.6%–18.8%; overweight: 24.5%, 95% CI, 22.6%–26.4%; and obese: 35.1%, 95% CI, 32.8%–37.4%). Similarly, lipid-lowering, analgesic, antidepressant, proton pump inhibitors, thyroid, diabetes, and bronchodilator medication use was greater among obese compared with normal weight adults (each p < .01). Among adults 65+ years, 72% (95% CI, 68.2%–75.8%) of men and 67.7% (95% CI, 64.3%–71.2%) of women used a hypertension medication and a majority of men (51.2%, 95% CI, 48.4%–54%) and 40.3% (95% CI, 36.8%–43.8%) of women used lipid lowering medications; the use of both was greater among obese adults compared to normal weight adults (both p < .01).ConclusionsObese adults in the United States use several prescription medication classes more frequently, than normal weight adults, including hypertension, lipid-lowering, and diabetes medications.