Community Care, Unnan City Hospital, 699-1221 96-1 Iida, Daito-cho, Unnan 699-1221, Japan.
Department of Community Medicine Management, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya cho, Izumo 693-8501, Japan.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2022 May 25;58(6):701. doi: 10.3390/medicina58060701.
Self-medication, a help-seeking behavior to control individual symptoms, can be promoted to prevent the overuse of medical care and improve self-management among older adults. However, evidence regarding the association between self-medication and quality of life (QOL) is lacking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the association between QOL and the usage of self-medication among rural older adults. This cross-sectional study included participants older than 65 years in rural Japanese communities. Data were collected using a questionnaire regarding self-medication trends, the EQ-5D-5L to assess QOL, and a demographics questionnaire. Participants were divided into exposure and control groups based on their tendencies toward self-medication usage. Differences in the demographics between groups were adjusted using propensity score matching. Results: The health status in the exposure group was statistically significantly better than that in the control group in the dimensions of movement, self-care, and usual activities. Conversely, the pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression dimensions were not statistically significantly different. The quality of self-medication behaviors for mild symptoms can be improved with practical knowledge of and access to home remedies and over-the-counter drugs. Educational interventions and system development for better self-medication for mild symptoms and medical care for critical symptoms in rural contexts can be effective in improving QOL among rural older adults.
自我药疗是一种控制个体症状的求助行为，可以促进其发展，以防止医疗保健的过度使用并提高老年人的自我管理能力。然而，关于自我药疗与生活质量（QOL）之间关联的证据尚不足。本研究旨在调查农村老年人中生活质量与自我药疗使用之间的关联。这是一项在日本农村社区中纳入 65 岁以上老年人的横断面研究。使用关于自我药疗趋势的问卷、评估生活质量的 EQ-5D-5L 以及人口统计学问卷收集数据。根据自我药疗使用倾向将参与者分为暴露组和对照组。使用倾向评分匹配调整组间人口统计学差异。结果：在运动、自我护理和日常活动维度上，暴露组的健康状况在统计学上显著优于对照组。相反，疼痛/不适和焦虑/抑郁维度在统计学上无显著差异。对于轻度症状，提高自我药疗行为的质量可以通过实际了解和获得家庭疗法和非处方药物来实现。在农村环境中，针对轻度症状进行更好的自我药疗和针对严重症状进行医疗保健的教育干预和系统开发，可以有效提高农村老年人的生活质量。
