Nonprescription medication use and literacy among New Hampshire eighth graders

To assess whether New Hampshire (NH) eighth graders were self-medicating with over-the-counter (OTC) medications, had literacy skills necessary to safely and accurately interpret OTC medication labels, and showed improvement in OTC medication safe use and literacy skills after student pharmacist-led education.

Cross-sectional repeated-measures study.

NH, five separate sessions, in 2010 and 2011.

101 NH eighth grade students.

Participants answered questions derived from OTC drug facts labels that assessed OTC medication safe use and literacy before and after a student pharmacist-led presentation describing each section of the labels.

Participant use of OTC medications, whether participants interpreted OTC drug facts labels correctly, and whether participants were able to identify safe use of OTC medications before and after instruction about OTC drug facts labels.

57% of participants reported taking OTC medications in the previous month, 22% reported taking OTC medications autonomously, and 43% reported checking with a trusted adult before self-administration. After student pharmacist-led education, significant improvements were seen in identifying product indications, calculating adult doses, interpreting adverse effects, knowing when to call a medical provider, understanding proper medication storage, identifying expiration dates, and identifying duplicate medications in products.

NH eighth graders were self-medicating with OTC medications. Significant improvements in OTC medication label literacy were seen after student pharmacist-led education. These results provide evidence of the need for, and positive effects of, OTC medication education among U.S. adolescents.