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Parental attitudes toward medicine use in children in Finland
Katri Hämeen-Anttila1, Pirjo Halonen, Sanna Siponen
1Finnish Medicines Agency, Microkatu 1, Kuopio, P.O. Box 55, 00301, Helsinki, Finland. katri.hameen-anttila@fimea.fi
Objective:
The aim was to describe parental attitudes towards medicine use in children, and the factors associated with them.
Setting:
A cross-sectional population survey of a random sample of children under 12 years of age (n = 6,000) was carried out in Finland in the spring of 2007, with a response rate of 67%.
Method:
A questionnaire was sent to their parents. A Principal Component Analysis was conducted for the attitudinal scale to determine parental attitudes.
Main Outcome Measure:
An attitudinal scale including 21 items on five-point Likert scale was used to determine parental attitudes towards medicines.
Results:
Five principal components with 18 statements explained parental attitudes: General attitude towards medicines, Attitude towards prescription medicines, Attitude towards OTC medicines, Attitude towards the risks of medicines, and Attitude towards long-term use of pain-killers. These components were internally consistent and explained 54.7% of the total variance. Of the respondents, 15% were cautious towards medicine use, 84% agreed that prescription medicines are safe and effective, whereas 49% thought so about OTC medicines. Of the respondents, 69% were worried about the risks of medicines, especially parents older than 46 years, with a low level of education, who used medicinal herbs themselves, and had a child with a long-term illness. Moreover, 46% of the respondents were worried about the long-term use of pain-killers.
Conclusion:
This population based study showed that the parental attitudes toward prescription medicines and toward OTC medicines are different: many parents consider prescription medicines as safe and effective, less think so of OTC medicines. A considerable proportion of parents had worries about side effects and interactions. This stresses the need to address these topics in encounters with parents.
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