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Table 1 Patient population characteristics by region (N = 479)

From: General practice patients treated for substance use problems: a cross-national observational study in Belgium

 

Flanders (N = 268)

Wallonia & Brussels (N = 211)

Belgium (N = 479)

 

n/N

% (95% CI)

n/N

% (95% CI)

n/N

% (95% CI)

Men (versus women)

177/267

66.3 (60.3–71.9)

138/207

66.7 (59.8–73.0)

315/474

66.5 (62.0–70.7)

Age in years

 <25

16/268

6.0 (3.5–9.5)

8/211

3.8 (1.7–7.3)

24/479

5.0 (3.2–7.4)

 25–34

40/268

14.9 (10.9–19.8)

42/211

19.9 (14.7–25.9)

82/479

17.1 (13.9–20.8)

 35–44

50/268

18.7 (14.2–23.8)

46/211

21.8 (16.4–28.0)

96/479

20.0 (16.5–23.9)

 45–54

102/268

38.1 (32.2–44.2)

64/211

30.3 (24.2–37.0)

166/479

34.7 (30.4–39.1)

 55–64

60/268

22.4 (17.5–27.9)

51/211

24.2 (18.6–30.5)

111/479

23.2 (19.5–27.2)

Type of substance use

 Alcohol alone

142/268

53.0 (46.8–59.1)

84/211

39.8 (33.1–46.8)

226/479

47.2 (42.6–51.8)

 Prescription drugs

53/268

19.4 (14.8–24.7)

44/211

20.9 (15.6–27.0)

97/479

20.3 (16.5–23.9)

 Illicit drugs, excluding heroin and methadone

54/268

20.1 (15.5–25.5)

26/211

12.3 (8.2–17.5)

80/479

16.7 (13.5–20.3)

 Heroin or methadone

19/268

7.1 (4.3–10.9)

57/211

27.0 (21.1–33.5)

76/479

15.9 (12.7–19.5)

Substance use characteristics

 Abstinence from substances in last 4 weeks

108/268

40.3 (34.4–46.4)

118/211

55.9 (48.9–62.7)

226/479

47.2 (42.6–51.8)

 Single substance use

178/268

66.4 (60.4–72.0)

127/211

60.2 (53.2–61.8)

305/479

63.7 (59.2–68.0)

 Problematic use ≥10 years

102/209

48.8 (41.8–56.0)

111/164

67.9 (59.9–74.8)

213/373

57.1 (51.9–62.2)

Substance-related problems

 Physical problems

149/268

55.6 (49.4–61.6)

84/211

39.8 (33.2–46.8)

233/479

48.6 (44.1–53.2)

 Mental problems

206/268

76.9 (71.3–81.8)

172/211

81.5 (75.6–86.5)

378/479

78.9 (75.0–82.5)

 Problems at work

61/268

22.8 (17.9–28.3)

30/211

14.2 (9.8–19.7)

91/479

19.0 (15.6–22.8)

 Social problems

198/268

73.9 (68.1–79.0)

153/211

72.5 (59.0–78.4)

351/479

73.3 (69.1–77.2)

Occupational status: at work

114/253

45.1 (38.8–51.4)

66/205

32.2 (25.9–39.1)

180/458

39.3 (34.8–43.9)

Treatment history

 First treatment episode

66/249

26.5 (21.1–32.4)

39/188

20.7 (15.2–27.2)

105/437

24.0 (20.1–28.3)

 Ongoing treatment episode

154/254

60.6 (54.3–66.7)

150/210

71.4 (64.8–77.4)

304/464

65.5 (61.0–69.8)

Treatment status at follow-up

 1) Study drop-out, treatment drop-out or deceaseda

93/268

34.7 (29.0–40.7)

64/211

30.3 (24.2–37.0)

157/479

32.8 (28.6–37.2)

 2) Discontinued GP treatment

91/268

34.0 (28.3–40.0)

48/211

22.7 (17.3–29.0)

139/479

29.0 (25.0–33.3)

 3) Continued (usual) GP treatment, substance use treatment by non-GP

19/268

7.1 (4.3–10.9)

9/211

4.3 (2.0–7.9)

28/479

5.8 (3.9–8.3)

 4) Continued substance use treatment by GP & non-GP

33/268

12.3 (8.6–16.9)

40/211

19.0 (13.9–24.9)

73/479

15.2 (12.1–18.8)

 5) Continued substance use treatment by GP alone

32/268

11.9 (8.3–16.4)

50/211

23.7 (18.1–30.0)

82/479

17.1 (13.9–20.8)

Continued GP treatment (total of 3 to 5)

84/268

31.3 (25.8–37.3)

99/211

46.9 (40.0–53.9)

183/479

38.2 (33.8–42.7)

Continued GP substance use treatment (total of 4 and 5)

65/268

24.3 (19.2–29.8)

90/211

42.7 (35.9–49.6)

155/479

32.4 (28.2–36.8)

  1. CI Confidence interval. (Borderline) non-overlapping confidence intervals are in bold
  2. a5 of 479 patients were deceased, 2 deaths were caused by substance use
  3. Missing data: gender: n = 5 (1.0%); age: n = 0; substances used: n = 0; length of use: n = 106 (22.1%); occupational status: n = 21 (4.4%); first treatment: n = 42 (8.8%); ongoing treatment episode: n = 15 (3.1%)