US "tweens" using more medicines

America's "tweens" age group more than doubled use of type 2 diabetes medications between 2002 and 2005, with girls aged 10 and 14 years showing a 166% increase. The likely cause was said to be obesity, which is closely associated with type 2 diabetes.

The finding is included in a study of chronic medication use in children aged five to 19 reported at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association by researchers from the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and School of Public Health and pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts. In addition to diabetes, utilization patterns for blood pressure, cholesterol, asthma and depression medications were also examined.

"Across every chronic medication class we examined over this four year period of time, children's use increased, with varying patterns of growth across males and females and age groups," said Emily Cox, senior director of research at Express Scripts.