TABLE 2.

Polypharmacy exposure status (defined as ≥8 total generic ingredients = major polypharmacy [polypharm+] vs. no/minor polypharmacy [polypharm−], 0–7 total generic ingredients) by covariate value among the entire cohort with exposure assessed and at least one follow‐up(s) (n = 29 627)

Covariate	Cov. Values	N	%	Mean Med Count	Polypharm+ (%)	Polypharm− (%)
Age	85+	582	1.96	5.35	23.7	76.3
	75–84	4518	15.2	5.62	26.2	73.8
	65–74	9568	32.3	5.22	23.9	76.1
	55–64	11 295	38.1	4.61	19.6	80.4
	45–54	3664	12.4	3.56	11.9	88.1
Region	Buckle a	6200	20.9	5.28	24.6	75.4
	Belt	10 267	34.7	5.01	22.1	77.9
	Non‐belt	13 160	44.4	4.53	18.7	81.3
Race b	White	17 449	58.9	4.86	20.9	79.1
	Black	12 178	41.1	4.84	21.4	78.6
Sex	Male	13 304	44.9	4.5	18.5	81.5
	Female	16 323	55.1	5.13	23.3	76.7
Education	College grad	10 325	34.9	4.34	16.3	83.7
	Some college	7928	26.8	4.86	21.3	78.7
	HS	7654	25.9	5.1	23.3	76.7
	<HS	3697	12.5	5.75	29.5	70.5
Income	≥$75 k	4684	18	3.89	13.1	86.9
	$35–$74 k	8795	33.9	4.5	17.7	82.3
	$20–$34 k	7155	27.6	5.09	23.0	77.0
	<$20 k	5331	20.5	5.7	29.2	70.8
Relationship status	Widowed	5608	19.4	5.53	26.5	73.5
	Divorced	4299	14.9	4.8	21.4	78.6
	Married	17 470	60.4	4.68	19.4	80.6
	Single	1558	5.38	4.43	19.3	80.7
Medical care	Yes	21 839	79.5	5.07	22.2	77.8
	No	5631	20.5	4.04	16.7	83.3
Insurance	Yes	27 670	93.5	4.93	21.6	78.4
	No	1931	6.52	3.67	14.3	85.7
Smoking	Current	4270	14.5	4.65	20.4	79.6
	Past	11 888	40.3	5.18	23.5	76.5
	Never	13 355	45.3	4.62	19.2	80.8
BMI (kg/m2)	≤18.5	312	1.06	3.96	15.1	84.9
	18.5–24.9	6971	23.7	4.01	14.2	85.8
	25.0–29.9	10 860	36.9	4.5	17.7	82.3
	≥30.0	11 284	38.3	5.7	28.5	71.5
Alcohol use	Heavy	1175	4.04	4.05	13.6	86.4
	Moderate	9673	33.3	4.26	16.1	83.9
	None	18 201	62.7	5.21	24.3	75.7
Self‐reported health	Poor	1036	3.5	9.03	59.9	40.1
	Fair	4410	14.9	6.99	41.0	59.0
	Good	10 357	35	5.23	23.4	76.6
	Very good	9027	30.5	3.91	12.2	87.8
	Excellent	4738	16	2.89	6.1	93.9
Exercise habits	None	10 041	34.4	5.66	28.1	71.9
	1–3 times/week	10 511	36	4.57	18.8	81.2
	>3 times/week	8635	29.6	4.25	15.8	84.2
CKD	Yes	3248	11.4	7.15	41.0	59.0
	No	25 123	88.6	4.52	18.3	81.7
Diabetes	Yes	6285	22	7.36	43.8	56.2
	No	22 266	78	4.16	14.9	85.1
CVD history	Yes	5219	18	7.06	40.4	59.6
	No	23 855	82	4.36	16.9	83.1
Hypertension	Yes	17 513	59.2	5.93	28.8	71.2
	No	12 050	40.8	3.27	9.9	90.1
High lipids	Yes	16 932	59.4	5.52	26.3	73.7
	No	11 594	40.6	3.9	13.7	86.3
Atrial Fib.	Yes	2543	8.79	6.85	38.3	61.7
	No	26 400	91.2	4.64	19.3	80.7

Abbreviations: CKD, chronic kidney disease; CVD, cardiovascular disease; Fib., Fibrillation; HS, high school.

For simplicity, major polypharmacy is compared to minor and no polypharmacy grouped together.

^a Stroke Buckle: Subset (coastal plain of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina) of the stroke belt.

^b Race was only variable where polypharmacy chi‐square p value > .001.