Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia, Santo Antônio de Jesus, BA, Brasil.
Rev Saude Publica. 2009 Oct;43(5):768-78. doi: 10.1590/s0034-89102009000500005.
To describe drug use profile in children living in poor areas and associated factors.
Population-based, cross-sectional study, including 1,382 children aged between four and 11 years. These children were selected by random sampling of 24 micro-areas, representative of the poorest segments of the population living in the city of Salvador, Northeastern Brazil, in 2006. The dependent variable was drug use in the 15 days preceding the surveys. A total of three groups of explanatory variables were considered: socioeconomic variables, child health status, and use of health services. Adjusted analysis used Poisson regression, following a hierarchical conceptual model.
Drug use prevalence in children was 48%. Female children showed higher drug use prevalence than males, 50.9% and 45.4%, respectively (p=0.004). Drug use prevalence decreased significantly with age (p<0.001) in both sexes. Most used pharmacological groups were: analgesics/antipyretics (25.5%), systemic antibiotics (6.5%), and anti-cough /expectorant drugs (6.2%). In the multivariate analysis, factors determining greater drug use were: age (four to five, six, seven to eight years); female sex; white mother; poorer health perception; interruption of activities due to health problems and health care, whether ill or not, in the last 15 days; drug spending in the last month; and medical visits in the last three months.
Drug use prevalence in the poor children studied was below that observed in other population-based studies in Brazil, yet similar to that of adults. The identification of groups most subject to excessive drug use may serve as the basis for strategies to promote their rational use.
描述生活在贫困地区的儿童的药物使用情况及其相关因素。
这是一项基于人群的横断面研究，纳入了 1382 名 4 至 11 岁的儿童。这些儿童是通过随机抽取巴西萨尔瓦多市最贫困人群居住的 24 个微型区域进行抽样选择的，该研究于 2006 年进行。因变量是调查前 15 天的药物使用情况。共考虑了三组解释变量：社会经济变量、儿童健康状况和卫生服务利用情况。采用分层概念模型的泊松回归进行调整分析。
儿童的药物使用流行率为 48%。女性儿童的药物使用流行率高于男性，分别为 50.9%和 45.4%（p=0.004）。男女两性的药物使用流行率均随年龄的增长而显著下降（p<0.001）。最常使用的药理组是：镇痛药/退烧药（25.5%）、全身抗生素（6.5%）和止咳/祛痰药（6.2%）。在多变量分析中，决定药物使用更多的因素有：年龄（4-5 岁、6 岁、7-8 岁）；女性；白人母亲；对健康状况的感知较差；因健康问题中断活动，无论生病与否，在过去 15 天内；过去一个月的药物支出；以及过去三个月的医疗访问。
在所研究的贫困儿童中，药物使用的流行率低于巴西其他基于人群的研究中观察到的流行率，但与成年人相似。确定易过度使用药物的群体可能为促进其合理使用的策略提供基础。
