Mothers' Perceived Risks and Practices for Over Counter Medications of Children Under Five Years

Ads, Samar Eldesoky Mohamed; Saied, Hala; Melika, Sahar Wasfy

doi:10.21608/tsnj.2023.285653

Mothers' Perceived Risks and Practices for Over Counter Medications of Children Under Five Years

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Tanta University, Egypt.

² Pediatric Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Cairo University.College of Nursing, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz, University for Health Science.

³ Lecturer of Pediatric Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Kafr-Elsheikh University, Egypt.

10.21608/tsnj.2023.285653

Abstract

Over the counter medications are drugs that are purchased without medical prescription. The use of these medications in children is usually initiated by parents. Using over counter medicine in developing countries found to be higher than in industrialized countries. Aim: Assess perceived risks and practices for over the counter medications among mothers of children under five years. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study design. The study was conducted at Pediatric outpatient clinics of Tanta and Kafr-Elsheikh University Main Hospital. A convivence sample of 1000 mother of children under age 5 participated in the study. Tools: data was collected using three tools: Socio-demographic data questionnaire, Drug Use Health Belief Scale, and Over-the-Counter Medication Practices Questionnaire Results: the use of over the Counter medications was reported by all the participants in the study and 43.2% of mothers reported purchasing over the Counter for their children 3-4 times during this month. Most used medication were antipyretics to relieve a child’s fever (91.9%). The common reason for using these medicines was to save the life of the child in cases of emergency (62.5%). 58.9% of the participants had unsatisfactory practice regarding over the counter medication use. A highly positive significant correlation (r=0.69 p=0.0001) was found between mothers' perceived risks and their reported practice. Conclusion: using over the Counter medications is common among the study participants and for different reasons. There is a relationship between mothers’ perceived risks and practices of using over the counter medications. Recommendation: This research draw the attention to this serious problem. Strategies and educational program should be implemented to improve mothers' perception and practice about using over counter medications.