HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

States in Poor Health Use the Most Drugs

Study Abstract

From MSN Health & Fitness:

by Allison Van Dusen for Forbes.com

You probably never stopped to think if where you live has anything to do with the number of prescription medications you're taking. But if you live in the American South, chances are you take more medications than you would if you lived on the other side of the Mason-Dixon Line.

In fact, when it comes to residents popping the largest numbers of pills, Southern states beat the average by a long shot. States filled an average 11.1 retail prescriptions per capita in 2006, according to the latest figures compiled by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation's statehealthfacts.org and Vector One: National, data provider Verispan's national-level prescription and patient tracking service.

Well above that average is West Virginia, which came in first with 17.2 retail prescriptions filled per capita, followed by Missouri, 15.9; Tennessee, 15.8; Alabama, 15.7; and Kentucky, 15.4.

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