TY - JOUR T1 - Socioeconomic deprivation and benzodiazepine/Z-drug prescribing: a cross-sectional study of practice-level data in England JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract DO - 10.3399/bjgp19X703229 VL - 69 IS - suppl 1 SP - bjgp19X703229 AU - Stephanie Soyombo AU - Harpal Aujla AU - Rhian Stanbrook AU - David Capewell AU - Mary Shantikumar AU - Daniel Todkill AU - Saran Shantikumar Y1 - 2019/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/69/suppl_1/bjgp19X703229.abstract N2 - Background Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs (such as zopiclone) are widely prescribed in primary care in England. Prescribed for various indications, such as anxiolysis and insomnia, it has been previously reported that an association may exist with deprivation.Aim To determine whether there was an association between benzodiazepine/Z-drug prescribing (overall, and by individual drug) and practice-level socioeconomic deprivation in England.Method Monthly primary care prescribing data for 2017, as well as practice age and sex profile, were downloaded from NHS Digital. Prescribing was aggregated by year. Drug doses were converted to their milligram-equivalent of diazepam to allow comparison. Practice-level Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD 2015) scores were obtained from Public Health England. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association between IMD and prescribing (for all benzodiazepines/Z-drugs, and individually), after adjusting for practice sex (% male) and older age (% >65 years) distribution. Practice-level prescribing was defined as milligrams of diazepam-equivalent per 1000 registered patients in 2017.Results On univariate analysis, overall benzodiazepine prescribing was positively associated with practice-level IMD score, with more prescribing in more deprived practices (P<0.001). After adjusting for practice age and sex profile, IMD score remained an independent predictor of prescribing levels (P<0.001). These associations were consistent for all benzodiazepines/Z-drugs when analysed separately.Conclusion Higher practice-level socioeconomic deprivation, as described by IMD score, was associated with increased benzodiazepine/Z-drug prescribing. This may, in part, be a reflection of an underlying association of the indications for prescribing and socioeconomic deprivation. Further work is required to more accurately define the underlying reasons for these associations. ER -