Médicos sem Fronteiras Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Rev Paul Pediatr. 2023 Jul 10;42:e2022137. doi: 10.1590/1984-0462/2024/42/2022137. eCollection 2023.
Studies have shown that the practice of self-medicating children occurs worldwide and is independent of the country's economic level, medication policies, or access to health services. This study aimed to estimate and characterize the prevalence of self-medication in the Brazilian population of children aged up to 12 years.
We analyzed the data of 7528 children aged up to 12 years whose primary caregivers responded to the National Survey on Access, Use and Promotion of Rational Use of Medicines in Brazil (PNAUM), a cross-sectional population-based study conducted in 245 Brazilian municipalities. The prevalence of self-medication was defined as the use of at least one medication without a doctor's or dentist's indication 15 days before the interview.
The prevalence of self-medication was 22.2% and was more frequent in older children belonging to poorer families and without health insurance. The acute conditions for which there was a higher frequency of self-medication were pain, fever, and cold/allergic rhinitis. Analgesics/antipyretics stood out among the most used medications for self-medication.
The prevalence of self-medication to treat acute conditions was high in Brazilian children sampled in PNAUM, emphasizing the management of common symptoms such as pain, fever, and cold/allergic rhinitis in this age group. These findings reinforce the need for educational actions aimed at parents and caregivers.
研究表明，儿童自我用药的现象在世界范围内普遍存在，且与国家的经济水平、药物政策或获得卫生服务的机会无关。本研究旨在估计和描述巴西儿童（年龄在 12 岁以下）群体中自我用药的流行情况。
我们分析了 7528 名年龄在 12 岁以下的儿童的数据，这些儿童的主要照顾者对巴西全国获取、使用和促进合理用药情况调查（PNAUM）做出了回应。这是一项在 245 个巴西城市进行的基于人群的横断面研究。自我用药的流行率定义为在接受访谈前 15 天内，未经医生或牙医指示而使用至少一种药物的情况。
自我用药的流行率为 22.2%，且在年龄较大、家庭较贫困且没有医疗保险的儿童中更为常见。自我用药治疗的急性病症主要有疼痛、发热和感冒/过敏性鼻炎。在用于自我用药的最常用药物中，镇痛药/退烧药尤为突出。
在 PNAUM 中抽样的巴西儿童中，自我用药治疗急性病症的流行率较高，这突出了该年龄段常见症状（如疼痛、发热和感冒/过敏性鼻炎）的管理问题。这些发现强调了需要针对父母和照顾者开展教育活动。
