Original ArticleUnderstanding Statin Use in America and Gaps in Patient Education (USAGE): An internet-based survey of 10,138 current and former statin users
Section snippets
Study design
The USAGE Survey was conducted from September 21, 2011, through October 17, 2011, via an Internet-based, self-administered questionnaire developed by Kantar Health (New York, NY), with input from the study authors representing the National Lipid Association, as well as from Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. (Montgomery, AL), and Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, IN). The survey was administered by Lightspeed Online Research, Inc. (New York, NY), a subsidiary of Kantar Health. The study
Demographic characteristics
Of the 27,946 individuals with high cholesterol identified from the Ailment Panel of Lightspeed Online Research and contacted by e-mail to participate in the survey, 15,346 (54.9%) responded, and of those, 10,138 (n = 8918 current statin users and n = 1220 former statin users) were determined to be eligible, provided consent, and completed the survey. A summary of the demographic characteristics of the respondents is shown in Table 1. In summary, the majority were white (92%) and more than half
Discussion
USAGE is, to the authors' knowledge, the largest U.S. survey of self-reported statin users. As such, it differs from other studies of statin adherence, which have analyzed large insurance and pharmacy databases.27 Although valuable, these studies contain only objective data regarding pharmacy refills and diagnoses but lack direct information regarding the patients' experiences and reasons for stopping or switching statin therapy. Thus, the USAGE survey provides new insights into the
Summary and conclusions
USAGE is the largest Internet-based survey of attitudes and observations of individuals who have taken statins. Despite the limitations to this survey, primarily the examination of a population which was not entirely typical of the general U.S. population, it provides important insights into behavior and attitudes among current and former statin users. Among current users, most reported excellent adherence to daily statin use and the majority were taking a generic statin, citing cost as a major
Financial disclosures
This study was funded by Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc. (Montgomery, AL), and Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, IN). The National Lipid Association was a partner in conducting the survey. None of the authors received compensation for study design, study analysis, or manuscript preparation. The authors maintained full editorial control of the manuscript content and the decision to submit for publication.
Dr. Cohen has no disclosures. Dr. Brinton has received honoraria related to speaking
Acknowledgments
More information regarding the survey and these findings is available at the USAGE consumer website (www.StatinUSAGE.com). The authors wish to acknowledge the help and support of Lewis Kopenhafer (Kantar Health); Megan Seery (National Lipid Association); Craig Sponseller, MD (Kowa Pharmaceuticals); and Mary R. Dicklin, PhD (Biofortis-Provident Clinical Research).
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