ArticleThe Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine2014
Self-medication among adolescents aged 18 years: the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study.
Article in The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 49 citations in OpenAlex.
- Developing medication independence: The experience of UK teenagers.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2026Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among schoolchildren in the Metropolitan Region of Vitória, Brazil.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2026Article
- Exploring the Link Between Headache, Possible Sleep Bruxism and Self-Medication in Adolescents.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Observational
- Impact of Depression on Rehabilitation Outcomes in Pediatric Patients Undergoing ACL Reconstruction: A Retrospective Study.Journal of pediatric orthopedics · 2025Article
- Community awareness initiative about antimicrobial resistance: An educational intervention by medical undergraduates.Journal of education and health promotion · 2024Article
- Article
- Prevalence and reasons for self-medication for prevention of COVID-19 among the adult population in Kermanshah-Iran.Nursing open · 2023Article
- Healthcare System Distrust and Non-Prescription Antibiotic Use: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Adult Antibiotic Users.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Modern drug self-medication and associated factors among pregnant women at Settat city, Morocco.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- The role of mental health, academic stress, academic achievement, and physical activity on self-rated health among adolescents in Iran: A multilevel analysis.Journal of education and health promotion · 2020Article
- Self-Medication Practice and Associated Factors among Residents in Wuhan, China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Article
- Adolescents' Misuse of Over-The-Counter Medications: The Need for Pharmacist-led Intervention.Innovations in pharmacy · 2018Article
- The self medication use among adolescents aged between 13-18 years old; Prevalence and behavior, Riyadh - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, from 2014-2015.International journal of pediatrics & adolescent medicine · 2017Article
- Sociodemographic profile of medicines users in Brazil: results from the 2014 PNAUM survey.Revista de saude publica · 2016Article
- Prevalence and Cause of Self-Medication in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Article.Iranian journal of public health · 2015Review
- A Study on the Dispensing Pattern of Over the Counter Drugs in Retail Pharmacies in Sarjapur Area, East Bangalore.Journal of clinical and diagnostic research : JCDR · 2015Article
- Self-medication practices and risk factors for self-medication among medical students in Belgrade, Serbia.PloS one · 2014Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
purposeTo estimate the point prevalence of self-medication among adolescents aged 18 years and to evaluate the type of drugs used (either over-the-counter or prescription drugs) and socioeconomic, health-related, and behavioral correlates of self-medication.
methodsThis cross-sectional study used data from the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) Birth Cohort Study. Data were obtained through the administration of a questionnaire to adolescents aged 18 years. The outcome variables were point prevalence of medicine use and self-medication collected by self-report. The independent variables studied were gender, continuous medicine use, socioeconomic status, schooling, self-rated health, body mass index, and physical activity levels. Medicines were classified into therapeutic groups according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical classification system.
resultsA total of 4,106 adolescents were interviewed. The point prevalence of medicine use was 41.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 39.6-42.6), and the proportion of self-medication among medicine users was 65.1% (95% CI 62.8-67.4). The point prevalence of self-medication was 26.7% (95% CI 25.4-28.1), and it was higher among female adolescents, those more educated, and those who rated their health as poor. Out of the drugs used for self-medication (58% of all drugs used), 1,003 (78.7%) were nonprescription drugs and 271 (21.3%) were prescription drugs. The most frequently used drugs for self-medication were analgesics (56.1%), systemic antihistamines (7.4%), and anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products (7.1%).
conclusionsA high point prevalence of self-medication was found among adolescents, which is particularly concerning due to high use of prescription drugs for self-medication. Interventions are needed to promote rational use of medicines in this population.
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