Antibiotic use in urban whites and blacks: the Minnesota Heart Survey

OBJECTIVE: To assess racial differences in the use of antibiotics, including penicillins, erythromycins, tetracyclines, sulfas, and cephalosporins. DESIGN: Population-based surveys, conducted from 1985 to 1987. SETTING: The seven-county metropolitan area of Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. PARTICIPANTS: 3127 whites (response rate 68 percent) and 1047 blacks (response rate 65 percent), aged 35-74 years. RESULTS: White women (26 percent of 1625) were more likely to report having taken an antibiotic in the past year than were white men (18 percent of 1502), black women (18 percent of 590), or black men (15 percent of 457). Reported antibiotic usage decreased with increasing age. Black men were more likely than white men to report the use of tetracyclines or sulfas; otherwise, white men reported higher usage prevalences. White women reported higher usage prevalences of all drug classes than black women. CONCLUSIONS: Significant independent predictors of antibiotic use were younger age, white race, and female gender. Potential explanations for these differences include differences in patient access, physician-prescribing behaviors, or both.