Introduction. Self-medication is used every day in the form of self-care of our health. Different studies in India have shown that more than 50% of the adolescent population takes self-medication every day for their health. Self-medication is an important concern at the global level, and it is an important issue in the health area. Aims. To determine the prevalence of self-medication among adolescents, identifying the commonly used drugs as self-medication and finding the association between self-medication and selected demographic variables are important. Materials and Methods. In a descriptive cross-sectional survey, 220 adolescents were enrolled through cluster random sampling. A self-administered questionnaire (developed by the researcher) along with a demographic profile sheet to assess the prevalence of self-medication and commonly used drugs was exercised. In the study, self-medication was defined as the consumption of medication without the prescription of the physician in the past year. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS 16.0 software, and the significance of p value (<0.05) was considered. Results. Around 120 (54.5%) adolescents were in the age group of 17 years; among them, 123 (55.9%) were females. The prevalence of self-medication was found to be 173 (78.6%). Antipyretics were consumed by 147 (78.6%) adolescents and antitussives by 120 (54.5%). It was observed that 110 (50%) of the adolescents preferred allopathic system of medication. It was also reported that 52 (23.6%) adolescents self-medicated continuously (i.e., for a month). The results also showed that factors like the type of family (χ2 = 9.615, p<0.05), father’s education (χ2 = 13.791, p<0.05), mother’s education (χ2 = 14.633, p<0.05), and distance from a nearest medical store (χ2 = 17.290, p<0.05) were associated with self-medication. Conclusion. The present study has shown that the prevalence of self-medication is high among adolescents, and most of them had taken it without consulting a doctor. The study concludes that it is important to create awareness among adolescents regarding self-medication.

Hemophilia is a genetic disease that impairs quality of life due to its chronicity of nature where the individual will experience spontaneous bleeding or bleeding after an injury which requires frequent visits to the hospital for treatment. The objective of this study was to find the Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children and adolescents with moderate and severe hemophilia between 6 years and 16 years using the Haemo-QoL questionnaire. A prospective survey was carried out among 107 children and adolescents from two hemophilia treatment centers in Karnataka state. Approval was taken from the ethical committee. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. The mean age was 11.00 ± 2.98 years. Among the 107 participants, 89.70% had hemophilia A and 10.30% had hemophilia B. Moderate hemophilia was found among 54.20% participants and 45.80% had severe hemophilia. Overall, the HRQoL scores (55.41) were higher in the age group of 6–7 years compared to 8–12 years and 13–16 years. The mean HRQoL in the domain of family were: 77.84 ± 23.12 among 6–7 years, 66.00 ± 17.34 among the 8–12 years and 60.38 ± 16.72 among 13–16 years. Children demonstrated poor HRQoL in the domains of family and friends. The results indicate a need for continuous monitoring of QoL to identify better treatment methods.

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Objective:To assess the knowledge and attitude on child rearing practices among fathers of & children of 1-6 years of age. Materials and method:A descriptive correlational survey was done among conveniently selected 150 fathers of & children of 1-6 years of age at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. The knowledge and attitude in childrearing practices were assessed using a demographic proforma, knowledge questionnaire and attitude scale. Result:The findings showed that fathers' had satisfactory knowledge and favourable attitude in childrearing practices. The study also revealed that there was a significant association between knowledge and type of family (p= 0.015) and that there was no significant association between attitude in childrearing practices and demographic variables. Conclusion:The study concluded that there is no relationship between knowledge and attitude on child rearing practices among fathers and fathers' had satisfactory knowledge and favourable attitude in childrearing practices.