Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data

 To quantify how a period of intense media coverage of controversy over the risk:benefit balance of statins affected their use. Interrupted time series analysis of prospectively collected electronic data from primary care. Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) in the United Kingdom. Patients ne...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Matthews, A, Herrett, E, Gasparrini, A, Van Staa, T, Goldacre, B, Smeeth, L, Bhaskaran, K
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2016
_version_ 1797072976805363712
author Matthews, A
Herrett, E
Gasparrini, A
Van Staa, T
Goldacre, B
Smeeth, L
Bhaskaran, K
author_facet Matthews, A
Herrett, E
Gasparrini, A
Van Staa, T
Goldacre, B
Smeeth, L
Bhaskaran, K
author_sort Matthews, A
collection OXFORD
description  To quantify how a period of intense media coverage of controversy over the risk:benefit balance of statins affected their use. Interrupted time series analysis of prospectively collected electronic data from primary care. Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) in the United Kingdom. Patients newly eligible for or currently taking statins for primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention in each month in January 2011-March 2015. Adjusted odds ratios for starting/stopping taking statins after the media coverage (October 2013-March 2014). There was no evidence that the period of high media coverage was associated with changes in statin initiation among patients with a high recorded risk score for cardiovascular disease (primary prevention) or a recent cardiovascular event (secondary prevention) (odds ratio 0.99 (95% confidence interval 0.87 to 1.13; P=0.92) and 1.04 (0.92 to 1.18; P=0.54), respectively), though there was a decrease in the overall proportion of patients with a recorded risk score. Patients already taking statins were more likely to stop taking them for both primary and secondary prevention after the high media coverage period (1.11 (1.05 to 1.18; P<0.001) and 1.12 (1.04 to 1.21; P=0.003), respectively). Stratified analyses showed that older patients and those with a longer continuous prescription were more likely to stop taking statins after the media coverage. In post hoc analyses, the increased rates of cessation were no longer observed after six months. A period of intense public discussion over the risks:benefit balance of statins, covered widely in the media, was followed by a transient rise in the proportion of people who stopped taking statins. This research highlights the potential for widely covered health stories in the lay media to impact on healthcare related behaviour.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T23:15:27Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:66f87424-f247-422f-9409-a6b04ad88e5c
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T23:15:27Z
publishDate 2016
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:66f87424-f247-422f-9409-a6b04ad88e5c2022-03-26T18:35:11ZImpact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care dataJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:66f87424-f247-422f-9409-a6b04ad88e5cEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordBMJ Publishing Group2016Matthews, AHerrett, EGasparrini, AVan Staa, TGoldacre, BSmeeth, LBhaskaran, K To quantify how a period of intense media coverage of controversy over the risk:benefit balance of statins affected their use. Interrupted time series analysis of prospectively collected electronic data from primary care. Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) in the United Kingdom. Patients newly eligible for or currently taking statins for primary and secondary cardiovascular disease prevention in each month in January 2011-March 2015. Adjusted odds ratios for starting/stopping taking statins after the media coverage (October 2013-March 2014). There was no evidence that the period of high media coverage was associated with changes in statin initiation among patients with a high recorded risk score for cardiovascular disease (primary prevention) or a recent cardiovascular event (secondary prevention) (odds ratio 0.99 (95% confidence interval 0.87 to 1.13; P=0.92) and 1.04 (0.92 to 1.18; P=0.54), respectively), though there was a decrease in the overall proportion of patients with a recorded risk score. Patients already taking statins were more likely to stop taking them for both primary and secondary prevention after the high media coverage period (1.11 (1.05 to 1.18; P<0.001) and 1.12 (1.04 to 1.21; P=0.003), respectively). Stratified analyses showed that older patients and those with a longer continuous prescription were more likely to stop taking statins after the media coverage. In post hoc analyses, the increased rates of cessation were no longer observed after six months. A period of intense public discussion over the risks:benefit balance of statins, covered widely in the media, was followed by a transient rise in the proportion of people who stopped taking statins. This research highlights the potential for widely covered health stories in the lay media to impact on healthcare related behaviour.
spellingShingle Matthews, A
Herrett, E
Gasparrini, A
Van Staa, T
Goldacre, B
Smeeth, L
Bhaskaran, K
Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data
title Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data
title_full Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data
title_fullStr Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data
title_full_unstemmed Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data
title_short Impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins: interrupted time series analysis with UK primary care data
title_sort impact of statin related media coverage on use of statins interrupted time series analysis with uk primary care data
work_keys_str_mv AT matthewsa impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata
AT herrette impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata
AT gasparrinia impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata
AT vanstaat impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata
AT goldacreb impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata
AT smeethl impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata
AT bhaskarank impactofstatinrelatedmediacoverageonuseofstatinsinterruptedtimeseriesanalysiswithukprimarycaredata