Key result
Self-reported BP and lipid medication use matches registry data with >90% accuracy.
Why the study?
Accurate self-reported medication data are vital for epidemiological research, but the influence of age, sex, and cognitive function on reporting validity is not well understood.
How accurate is self-reported use of blood pressure and lipid-modifying medications compared to a prescription registry in a population-based cohort?
Cross-Sectional (n=55,086)
How accurate is self-reported use of blood pressure and lipid-modifying medications compared to a prescription registry in a population-based cohort?
Self-reported use of antihypertensives and lipid-modifying agents is highly reliable in a population-based cohort, though accuracy varies by age, sex, and cognitive function.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports self-report validity for these agents in large cohorts; leaves open generalizability to other drugs and subgroups.
BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease is a major global health burden, emphasizing the importance of blood pressure medications and lipid-modifying agents in prevention and treatment. Accurate self-reported data on the use of these drugs are vital for epidemiological research, yet the influence of age, sex, and cognitive function on reporting validity is not well understood. This study assesses self-reported use of these two drug classes within a large population-based Norwegian cohort and examines how demographic and cognitive factors affect reporting accuracy. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using data on self-reported medication use in the fourth wave of the population-based Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT4, 2017-19). Sensitivity, specificity and Cohen´s Kappa Statistics were calculated to assess accuracy using the Norwegian Prescribed Drug Registry as the gold standard. Analyses were stratified by age and sex, and by cognitive function for participants aged 70 years or older in the substudy HUNT4 70 + . RESULTS: A total of 55,086 participants (54.3% women) were included in this study, and the mean age (SD) was 54.0 (17.4) years. Out of these, 8762 also participated in the substudy HUNT4 70 + (2017-2019), where 3132 participants had mild cognitive impairment and 779 had dementia. In the total sample, sensitivity and specificity were > 90% for both blood pressure medication and lipid-modifying agents. Kappa statistics indicated substantial agreement for blood pressure medication (0.74-0.79), and substantial to almost perfect agreement for lipid-modifying agents (0.79-0.81). Agreement was highest among middle-aged participants and lower in the oldest. Chi-square tests revealed significant sex differences for both medication groups (p < 0.001), demonstrating higher agreement among women. Furthermore, cognitive function was strongly associated with reporting accuracy, with the highest agreement among cognitively healthy participants. CONCLUSION: Self-reported data on the use of blood pressure medication and lipid-modifying agents were highly reliable. However, agreement was influenced by age, sex, and cognitive function.
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Olsen et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Medication use reporting (n=55,086). Self-reported medication use vs. Prescription registry data was evaluated on Accuracy of self-reported medication use (sensitivity, specificity, and Cohen's Kappa) (Sensitivity and specificity >90%). Self-reported use of blood pressure and lipid-modifying medications was highly accurate compared to registry data, with sensitivity and specificity >90% and Kappa statistics between 0.74 and 0.81.
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