Reasons for allowing and refusing generic substitution and factors determining the choice of an interchangeable prescription medicine: a survey among pharmacy customers in Finland

Table 1 Characteristics of the study respondents (N=1043)

	n	%
Gender (n=1039^a)
Male	307	29.5
Female	732	70.5
Age in years (n=1007^a)
18–34	75	7.4
35–59	280	27.8
60–74	456	45.3
≥ 75	196	19.5
Area of residence (n=1030^a)
Southern Finland	184	17.9
Southwestern Finland	78	7.6
Western and Central Finland	251	24.4
Eastern Finland	192	18.6
Northern Finland	242	23.5
Lapland	83	8.1
Education (n=1027^a)
Basic education qualification	226	22.0
Vocational upper secondary qualification or vocational college diploma	397	38.7
Matriculation examination	117	11.4
Lower university degree	144	14.0
Higher university degree	143	13.9
Current use of prescription medicines (n=1023^a)
Regularly	606	59.2
Temporarily	102	10.0
Both regularly and temporarily	315	30.8

^aSome of the respondents did not report their gender, age, area of residence, education or use of prescription medicines

ISSN: 1472-6963