Parental self-medication and associated factors in children: a cross-sectional study in Turkey

Abstract

Objective This study was conducted to evaluate the parental self-medication (SM) practices in children and associated factors in Adana, Turkey. Methods A web-based cross-sectional survey was carried out among the parents between December 2020 and April 2021. This study was conducted according to the ‘Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES)’ guidelines. A one-page survey included details about sociodemographic characteristics (gender, age, profession, education of parents and others) sources of information, questions related to parental SM practices for their children (SM practices, common illnesses, drugs used as SM practices and drug-related information) and the reasons behind SM practices were disseminated via social media networks (Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook) to eligible participants. Online sample size calculator was used, and snow-ball sampling was employed during the study. The final automatic responses from Google Forms were retrieved as ‘Excel datasheet’ and then cleaned, coded and imported into the SPSS statistical tool (v.25.0). Key findings This study included a total of 370 participants (response rate of 95.4%). Parental SM practices were revealed to be more (n = 234; 63.5%) prevalent. The most frequent problems for parents who follow SM practices were fever (39.5%; n = 146) and abdominal pain (23.8%; n = 88). The most commonly used class of drugs was antipyretics followed by analgesics and antibiotics. The main reasons for SM practices were personal experience in treating children (n = 186; 50.3%) and high consultation charges (n = 72; 19.5%). Mother working status and parental educational level were two main factors found to be statistically associated with SM practices (P < 0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of parental SM practices was high. There is an urgent need for the parental educational program, the development of national policies about rational medicine usage and durable actions to discourage SM practices.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study on parental self‑medication among children in a tertiary care hospital in Kolkata

“…Parent's educational level was also significantly associated with their self-medicating practices. This is contrary to findings of other contemporary studies where the higher the mother's educational attainment, the less the chances of children being self-medicated 18,19 . The probable reason could be the attitude of educated parents regarding minor illness and confidence over their own prior experience of similar illness, as demonstrated in the Peruvian multi-centre study by Paredes JL, et.al 20 .…”

The Use of Non-Prescribed Medicines in Infants from Birth to Six Months in Rural Areas of Polokwane Municipality—Limpopo Province, South Africa

“…Contrary to the findings of the present study, a study conducted in Brazil by Santos DB et al reported contrasting results in which 59.7% of children had taken medications that had not been prescribed by a doctor, while a prevalence of non-prescribed medicine of 63.5% was reported in Turkey [29,30]. On the other hand, a study conducted in Seshego, a periurban location in Limpopo province, South Africa, reported that 47.3% of caregivers used non-prescribed medications in children, while a study in Soweto, South Africa, found 16.4% prevalence of non-prescribed medicine use in under six, respectively [30]. Additionally, a study in KwaZulu-Natal reported that 97% of infants received non-prescribed medications in the first 3 months of life: 98 (89%) rectally and 64 (58%) orally [1].…”

“…Furthermore, the most prevalent non-prescribed medicine medicines given in the present study were over-the-counter medicines, followed by a combination of traditional and over-the-counter medication medicines. The results of this study are in contrast to a study conducted in urban areas of Johannesburg, which reports that respondents of higher socioeconomic status are more likely to use over-the-counter medicines and less likely than other groups to use home treatments [30]. The driving force of the use of over-the-counter medicines includes the treatment of fever and cough, parents who consider themselves experienced in treating their children, and avoidance of the high cost of consultation charges [9,29,30].…”

“…Although not significant, the present study found that highly educated mothers use non-prescribed medicine less compared to those with a lower education level. In contrast, a study conducted in rural KwaZulu-Natal found that more educated women were more likely to administer oral medications [30]. In this study, there was no association between the age of the mother and self-medication.…”

“…These results are consistent with a systematic review reporting that treatment decisions depend on beliefs about the illness and treatments, availability of treatments, and advice. Furthermore, family influence can also reinforce the reliability of a habitual notion, such as the use of a particular type of medicine within the family [6,30]. Furthermore, the educational level of the mother/caregiver can influence the decision to give non-prescribed medicine.…”