Medicine use by Finnish female conscripts during voluntary military service.

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to assess the prevalence of prescribed and nonprescribed medicine use, use predictors, and origin of medicines for Finnish female conscripts during their voluntary military service. METHODS: An anonymous mail survey was conducted in April 1999 among all Finnish female conscripts on duty. RESULTS: Of the respondents (N = 177; response rate, 68%), 61% had used at least one medicine in the 2 weeks preceding the study, 44% prescribed and 31% nonprescribed medicines. Most of the prescribed medicines were provided by Finnish Defence Forces health care, whereas most of the nonprescribed medicines were of civilian origin. The consumption of prescribed and nonprescribed medicines was differently related to respondents' background variables. Common overall medicine use and use of over-the-counter analgesics and stimulants and their association with potentially negative health behaviors may contribute to inappropriate medicine use. CONCLUSION: Finnish female conscripts commonly use prescribed and nonprescribed medicines. The importance of sufficient medication information for female conscripts is emphasized.