TY - JOUR
T1 - Self-medication among adolescents aged 18 years
T2 - The 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study
AU - Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso
AU - Camargo, Aline Lins
AU - Silveira, Marysabel Pinto Telis
AU - Menezes, Ana M.B.
AU - Assunção, Maria Cecília Formoso
AU - Gonçalves, Helen
AU - Hallal, Pedro Curi
N1 - Funding Information:
The cohort study is supported by the Wellcome Trust. The initial phases of the cohort were funded by the European Union and the Brazilian National Program for Centers of Excellence (PRONEX), National Research Council (CNPq), and the Ministry of Health. Financial support: FAPERGS – Pesquisador Gaúcho 2011—PqG 02/2011.
PY - 2014/8
Y1 - 2014/8
N2 - Purpose To estimate the point prevalence of self-medication among adolescents aged 18 years and to evaluate the type of drugs used (either over-the-counter or prescription drugs) and socioeconomic, health-related, and behavioral correlates of self-medication. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study. Data were obtained through the administration of a questionnaire to adolescents aged 18 years. The outcome variables were point prevalence of medicine use and self-medication collected by self-report. The independent variables studied were gender, continuous medicine use, socioeconomic status, schooling, self-rated health, body mass index, and physical activity levels. Medicines were classified into therapeutic groups according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system. Results A total of 4,106 adolescents were interviewed. The point prevalence of medicine use was 41.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.6-42.6), and the proportion of self-medication among medicine users was 65.1% (95% CI 62.8-67.4). The point prevalence of self-medication was 26.7% (95% CI 25.4-28.1), and it was higher among female adolescents, those more educated, and those who rated their health as poor. Out of the drugs used for self-medication (58% of all drugs used), 1,003 (78.7%) were nonprescription drugs and 271 (21.3%) were prescription drugs. The most frequently used drugs for self-medication were analgesics (56.1%), systemic antihistamines (7.4%), and anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products (7.1%). Conclusions A high point prevalence of self-medication was found among adolescents, which is particularly concerning due to high use of prescription drugs for self-medication. Interventions are needed to promote rational use of medicines in this population.
AB - Purpose To estimate the point prevalence of self-medication among adolescents aged 18 years and to evaluate the type of drugs used (either over-the-counter or prescription drugs) and socioeconomic, health-related, and behavioral correlates of self-medication. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study. Data were obtained through the administration of a questionnaire to adolescents aged 18 years. The outcome variables were point prevalence of medicine use and self-medication collected by self-report. The independent variables studied were gender, continuous medicine use, socioeconomic status, schooling, self-rated health, body mass index, and physical activity levels. Medicines were classified into therapeutic groups according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system. Results A total of 4,106 adolescents were interviewed. The point prevalence of medicine use was 41.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.6-42.6), and the proportion of self-medication among medicine users was 65.1% (95% CI 62.8-67.4). The point prevalence of self-medication was 26.7% (95% CI 25.4-28.1), and it was higher among female adolescents, those more educated, and those who rated their health as poor. Out of the drugs used for self-medication (58% of all drugs used), 1,003 (78.7%) were nonprescription drugs and 271 (21.3%) were prescription drugs. The most frequently used drugs for self-medication were analgesics (56.1%), systemic antihistamines (7.4%), and anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products (7.1%). Conclusions A high point prevalence of self-medication was found among adolescents, which is particularly concerning due to high use of prescription drugs for self-medication. Interventions are needed to promote rational use of medicines in this population.
KW - Adolescent
KW - Cohort study
KW - Pharmacoepidemiology
KW - Self-medication
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.02.010
DO - 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.02.010
M3 - Article
C2 - 24713443
AN - SCOPUS:84905036621
SN - 1054-139X
VL - 55
SP - 175
EP - 181
JO - Journal of Adolescent Health
JF - Journal of Adolescent Health
IS - 2
ER -