Parents Awareness about the Use of Self-Medication in Children, Saudi Arabia, 2023

Parents Awareness about the Use of Self-Medication in Children, Saudi Arabia, 2023 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Parents Awareness about the Use of Self-Medication in Children, Saudi Arabia, 2023 AL Shammari, Reham Obaid, AL Enizy, Rasha Jazy This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3833590/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Aim: To assess the knowledge and practice of parents about the use of self-medication in their children and to determine the reasons that lead to this situation. In addition to determining the relationship between self-medication practice and socio-demographic characteristics. An observational cross-sectional intuitional-based study including 427 parents regarding children's self-medication was conducted in King Saud Hospital in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Result: A total of 427 participants were included in this study; (62.1%) of them were females, and (37.9%) were males. The commonest age group was found to be 31–35 years old (25.1%). Most of the participants (72.8%) were graduates, while (7.5%) were postgraduates. Most of the participants (78.7%) predominantly used synthetic medicines, while (21.3%) used herbal medication. The majority of the parents (69.8%) were aware of the side effects and complications of the medications. The most frequent self-medications used by the parents were antipyretics (81.5%), cough syrups (41.9%), and anti-allergy medication (23%). Moreover, reasons for parental self-medication of their children were awareness about their children’s disease from the symptoms (72.6%), waiting time at the clinic for too long (61.8%), and consultation fees being too expensive (52%). Among the socio-demographic characteristics that we included in the table, only occupation and the number of children were found to be statistically significant (p≤0.05). Conclusion: Overall, this study can conclude that there is a huge use of self-medication for children by parents attending King Saud Hospital, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The knowledge and practice of the majority of parents regarding self-medication in their children were found to be acceptable. However, despite that, many of the parents were educated, but their knowledge of many of them about self-medication was insufficient. Significant associations were found between the use of self-medication and both occupation and the number of children. Clinical Pharmacology knowledge of parent practice of parent self-medication children INTRODUCTION Several health hazards might arise when a non-physician prescribes medication to a child. These concerns have been extensively documented globally. One typical self-care technique is self-medication. This is a more common practice, especially in poorer nations [ 1 ]. Other names for it include over-the-counter (OTC) and non-prescription [ 2 ]. Drugs from prior prescriptions that may occasionally be used for symptoms that the parents are aware of must exist in certain households [ 1 ]. Without medical supervision, drug use can raise the risk of pathogen resistance, improper, erroneous, or excessive therapy, missed diagnoses, delays in necessary treatment, and increased morbidity [ 3 ]. The World Health Organization defines self-medication as the use and selection of drugs by individuals to treat self-identified ailments or symptoms. Furthermore, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (IPF) defines self-medication as the use of non-prescription medications by persons on their own initiative [ 4 ]. In general, self-medication is defined as "the use of drugs, herbs, or home remedies on one's own initiative or on the advice of another person, without consulting a doctor [ 3 ]." OTC pharmaceuticals are medications that are sold directly to consumers without the need for a prescription from a healthcare professional. OTC medications include pain relievers, cough and cold cures, anti-allergy medications, vitamins, and vitality tonics. Although these medications are thought to be risk-free and useful for treating common health issues, excessive usage might result in serious side effects and negative reactions [ 3 ]. Self-medication is not a safe practice. Risks associated with self-medication include: incorrect self-diagnosis, delays in seeking medical advice when necessary, infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect administration, incorrect dosage, incorrect choice of therapy, masking of a severe disease and risk of dependence, diarrhea, vomiting, cough, and upper respiratory tract infection [ 3 ]. It can have long-term or short-term consequences, and it can sometimes be fatal. One of the issues that self-medication can create is an overdose, which can lead to child poisoning. Another issue is antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics must be administered by parents under the guidance of a certified medical practitioner [ 5 ]. Most medications used have a license that says exactly how the medicine should be used. However, this license may not include use in children, or a particular illness or condition [ 6 ]. The patient's active participation in his or her own health care, better utilization of physicians' and pharmacists' skills, and a reduced (or, at the very least, optimized) load on governments due to health expenditure associated with the treatment of minor health disorders. However, self-medication is far from a perfectly safe practice, especially when it is not done responsibly. Potential risks of self-medication include: incorrect self-diagnosis, delays in seeking medical advice when needed, infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect administration, incorrect dosage, incorrect therapy selection, masking of a severe disease, and the risk of dependence and abuse [ 7 ]. Even for minor health conditions, the use of non-prescribed drugs can lead to complications. Over-the-counter medications, for example, are widely available [ 3 ]. But what we don't realize is that self-medication exposes us to allergies, drug dependence, addiction, disabilities, and even premature death; it wastes resources, increases resistance to pathogens, and causes serious health risks such as adverse reactions and prolonged suffering [ 3 ]. Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide issue, particularly in developing nations where antibiotics are freely available [ 3 ]. People prefer self-medication since it is immediate, there are no doctor charges, and there is a lack of transportation and fees associated with distant hospitals or clinics. However, if they have significant health problems, their medical expenses would double and their health will be irreversibly harmed [ 8 ]. A study showed that the rising development of self-medication was seen among higher secondary school education mothers with 35.3%. In the income factor, 2600K-3000K was the most common income range found in the self-medication [ 9 ]. The study of Alsuhaibani et al., revealed that there is generous use of over-the-counter (OTC) medication for children by their parents in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Most of the respondents were educated but their knowledge about OTC is insufficient [ 10 ]. In Tanzania the knowledge on the appropriate use of antibiotics among parents was low. There was a need to have routine continuous health education at the community level about the use of antibiotics [ 11 ]. In Congo 96% of the mothers self-medicate their children; 95.7% do not know the exact dosage of the drug used; 97.17% do not check the expiry date; more than 91% of the mothers use anti-malarial drugs, 41.3% use antipyretics/analgesics and 26.3% use antibiotics [ 12 ]. However, according to a Pakistani Study, 63% of parents informed physicians about self-medication in their children and 18% reported that their child became sicker after self-medication. Out of total 56% of participants agreed that self-medication is unsafe for their children [ 13 ]. As the best of our knowledge, there are some researches done about this topic in Saudi Arabia and worldwide, but it still is a major problem. Studies found that the socioeconomic status and the educational level of the parents, as well as clinical lack of control, are some of the major reasons that lead parents to usage of self-medication. Based on the previously mentioned reasons, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of parents about the use of self -medication in their children and to determine the reasons which lead to this problem in Saudi Arabia. In addition to determining the relationship between self-medication practice and socio-demographic characteristics. METHODOLOGY This study was an observational descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study. Conducted at King Saud Hospital in Qassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from August 2023 to October 2023. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Data was entered and computerized through Microsoft Excel then analyzed by SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics was presented in tables and diagrams for categorical variables. The association between the dependent and independent variables was tested by odd ratio and Chi-square test. A logistic regression test was used to control for confounding factors. The statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05. RESULTS A total of four-hundred twenty-seven participants were included in this study, of which (62.1%) were females, and (37.9%) were males. Among them, the age distribution was as follows: 18–20 years old (1.4%), 21–25 years old (4.9%), 26–30 years old (15.2%), 31–35 years old (25.1%), 36–40 years old, (21.5%), 41–45 years old (19.9%), 46–50 years old (8.7%), and more than 50 years old (3.3%). Furthermore, (64.9%) were non-healthcare employees, (6.6%) were healthcare employees, and (28.6%) were unemployed. (72.8%) of the participants who graduated from the University, of which (7.5%) had postgraduate education, (16.2%) finished tertiary school, and (3.5%) finished less than tertiary school. The description of the socio-demographic characteristics of participants is in Table 1 . Table 1 Socio-demographic characteristics Study variables N (%) (n = 427) Gender Male 162 (37.9%) Female 265 (62.1%) Age group in years 18–20 years old 6 (1.4%) 21–25 years old 21 (4.9%) 26–30 years old 65 (15.2%) 31–35 years old 107 (25.1%) 36–40 years old 92 (21.5%) 41–45 years old 85 (19.9%) 46–50 years old 37 (8.7%) > 50 years old 14 (3.3%) Occupation Healthcare employee 28 (6.6%) Non-healthcare employee 277 (64.9%) Unemployed 122 (28.6%) Educational level Less than tertiary school 15 (3.5%) Tertiary school 69 (16.2%) Graduate 311 (72.8%) Postgraduate 32 (7.5%) Number of children One 76 (17.8%) Two 93 (21.8%) Three 89 (20.8%) Four 78 (18.3%) More than four 91 (21.3%) Number (N), percentage (%) Most of the participants (78.7%) predominantly used synthetic medicines, while (21.3%) used herbal medication. Importantly, parents self-medicated their children at different frequencies during one year, (37.2%) of them more than 4 times, (19.9%) four times, (9.1% )three times, (6.6%) twice, (4%) one time, and (23.2%) never did. (66%) of parents know the right doses for children, while (34%) do not. Regarding whether parents are aware of the side effects and complications that can be caused by medications, the majority (69.8%) do, while (30.2%) do not. When asked if parents read the medication’s pamphlet, (56%) said they did, while (44%) said they did not. (63.5%) of parents complete the whole course of medication, while (36.5%) do not. Regarding parents’ actions, if the child’s health did not improve with self-medication, (52.7%) of them attend the hospital, (39.3%) go to private clinics, (4%)% consult the community pharmacist, (2.3%) search for medication online. The Majority of the parents (90.9%) used OTC medication when the child’s symptoms were mild, (9.1%) in the presence of moderate symptoms, and no participant chose to use self-medication in severe or critical conditions. Knowledge and practices of parents toward OTC were summarized in Table 2 . Table 2 Knowledge and practices of parents toward OTC Study variables N (%) (n = 427) Type of treatment Synthetic Medicine 336 (78.7%) Herbal treatment 91 (21.3%) The frequency of self-medication by parents to their children in 1 year. Never 99 (23.2%) One time 17 (4.0%) Two times 28 (6.6%) Three times 39 (9.1%) Four times 85 (19.9%) More than four times 159 (37.2%) If parents know the right dose for children Yes 282 (66.0%) No 145 (34.0%) If parents are aware about the side-effects and complications that can be caused by medications Yes 298 (69.8%) No 129 (30.2%) If parents read the medication’s pamphlet Yes 239 (56.0%) No 188 (44.0%) If parents complete the whole course of medication Yes 271 (63.5%) No 156 (36.5%) Parent action if the child did not improve with self-medication Go to hospital 225 (52.7%) Go to a private clinic 168 (39.3%) Consult community pharmacist 17 (4.0%) Search internet 10 (2.3%) Seek advice from friends and/or relatives 4 (0.9%) Continue self-medication 3 (0.7%) Parents usually used the medication in the following cases. Mild symptoms 388 (90.9%) Moderate symptoms 39 (9.1%) Number (N), percentage (%) The medicine providers varied as well, (41.7%)% were provided by a hospital, (33.0%) by a pharmacy, (15.0%) by a private clinic, while (10.3%) were received from friends and relatives. The sources of medical information were the doctor (79.4%), followed by the pharmacist (52.5%), internet (23.4%), relatives and friends (26.9%). The most frequent OTC used by the parent were antipyretics (81.5%), cough syrups (41.9%), and anti-allergy medication (23%). Moreover, the reasons for parental self-medication to their children are stated in Table 3 . Table 3 Reasons for parental self-medication to their children Statement Disagree N (%) Neutral N (%) Agree N (%) 1.Waiting time on the clinic is too long 62 (14.5%) 101 (23.7%) 264 (61.8%) 2.Consultation fees are too expensive 99 (23.2%) 106 (24.8%) 222 (52.0%) 3.The nearest clinic is too far away 140 (32.8%) 140 (32.8%) 147 (34.4%) 4.Bad attitude of healthcare workers 245 (57.4%) 25 (5.9%) 157 (36.8%) 5. Lack of sufficient health information from the medical provider 129 (30.2%) 155 (36.3%) 143 (33.5%) 6.I am expert enough 88 (20.6%) 162 (37.9%) 177 (41.5%) 7.Awareness about my children dis- ease from the symptoms 49 (11.5%) 68 (15.9%) 310 (72.6%) The level of attitude toward medicine has been calculated by adding all responses from attitude questionnaires, “Knowledge and practices of parents toward OTC”) Table 2 . For ease of analysis, strongly disagree and disagree have been merged and coded as 1, neutral have been coded as 2, and agree and strongly agree have been merged and coded as 3. Based on the analysis, the mean score was 16.4, the minimum score was 7 and the maximum score was 23. This result has been recoded into two categories such as; 8–12 as a negative attitude with 171 (40%) and 13–24 as a positive attitude with 256 (60.0%). We used the chi-square test on the table to measure the association between the level of attitude and socio-demographic characteristics of participants with p-values which indicates whether the association is statistically significant. We used p-≤0.05 as a cutoff point of significant level for all statistical tests. Based on analysis, among socio-demographic characteristics that we included in the table, only occupation and number of children were found to be statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05). Other demographical variables included in the table show a negative association with the level of attitude as shown in Table 4 . Table 4 Association between attitude toward medicine and socio demographic characteristics of participants (n = 427). Study variables Positive (n=256) N (%) Negative (n=171) N (%) P-value § Gender Male 119 (46.5%) 70 (40.9%) 0.258 Female 137 (53.5%) 101 (59.1%) Age group in years ≤ 35 years old 125 (48.8%) 89 (52.0%) 0.514 > 35 years old 131 (51.2%) 82 (48.0%) Occupation Employed 187 (73.0%) 107 (62.6%) 0.022 Unemployed 69 (27.0%) 64 (37.4%) Educational level Tertiary and below 54 (21.1%) 39 (22.8%) 0.674 Graduate and above 202 (78.9%) 132 (77.2%) Number of children 1–3 65 (25.4%) 81 (47.4%) 0.0001 > 3 191 (74.6%) 90 (52.6%) DISCUSSION This study was conducted to assess the knowledge and practice of parents about the use of self-medication in their children and to determine the reasons that led them to use self-medication. In addition to determining the relationship between self-medication and socio-demographic characteristics among parents attending King Saud Hospital, Al-Qassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Various published studies revealed that self-medication has been widely practiced by parents for their children regardless of the side effects it might cause [ 9 – 13 ]. This practice should be carefully assessed due to some side effects and complications that might be encountered during the course such as; child allergy to medicine, improper dosage, wrong medicine, expired medicine, and other related drug complications. The results of our study show that most of the participants were mothers with the commonest age group being 31–35 years old, followed by 36–40 years old, and that the majority of the parents were college graduates or above, and most of them were employees. When comparing the prevalence of parents’ use of self-medication in their children between our study and previous studies, our study showed a higher percentage than Naseer Ahmed’s study in Indonesia, Beatus Simon’s study which was done in Tanzania, and Umar Farooq Gohar’s study which was conducted in Pakistan. On the other hand, our result was less than Astrid Mukemo Katumbo’s study in Congo and Ray Alsuhaibani’s study in Saudi Arabia [ 9 – 13 ]. Regarding knowledge and practices of parents toward self-medication, synthetic medicine was predominantly used by the parents to their children with (78.7%), and (19.9%) using self-medication for their children more than four times per year. The parents’ action, if the child did not improve in self-medication, more than half of them will go to a hospital with (52.7%). When compared to the previously done study conducted by Ray Alsuhaibani in Saudi Arabia, our results show lower percentages than those found in Alsuhaibani’s study, which can be explained by the efforts that were made to raise awareness and knowledge about the use of self-medication [ 10 ]. The most frequent self-medication drugs used by parents were antipyretics (81.5%), cough syrups (41.9%), and anti-allergy medication (23%). This result agrees with the study of Ray Alsuhaibani in Saudi Arabia but with different percentages. This can be explained by the fact that the two studies were done in the same country and region. While Beatus Simon’s study in Tanzania had antibiotics as the most commonly used drug, and Astrid Mukemo Katumb’s study in Congo showed antimalarial, antipyretics/analgesics, and antibiotics as the most used drugs. It goes without saying that the different countries have different environments and common diseases which can affect this result [ 10 – 12 ]. Regarding the reasons for parental self-medication to their children, the results of our study showed that the commonest reasons were awareness about parents’ children’s disease from the symptoms (72.6%), waiting time at the clinic being too long (61.8%), and consultation fees are too expensive (52%). Again, this result agrees with the study that was conducted in Saudi Arabia by Ray Alsuhaibani, but with different percentages [ 10 ]. Based on our results, among socio-demographic characteristics that we included, only occupation and number of children were found to be statistically significant with the use of self-medication (p ≤ 0.05). Other demographical variables showed a negative association with the level of attitude. When compared to the other studies, Naseer Ahmed’s study in Indonesia showed a correlation between both education level and income, and use of self-medication. In addition, Ray Alsuhaibani’s study in Saudi Arabia showed a significant association between residence and the use of self-medication [ 9 , 10 ]. Just like all studies, our study has also been subjected to some limitations. First, the majority of participants in this study were mothers. Achievement of a 50:50 gender distribution of parents might not be possible as mothers usually take care of children more than fathers. In addition to that, we could not determine if parents’ economic status was contributing to self-medication because the income data were not collected. Lastly, adding more important variables would be more beneficial especially when studying the knowledge and practice of parents toward self-medication. CONCLUSION Overall, this study can conclude that there is a huge use of self-medication for children by parents attending King Saud Hospital, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The knowledge and practice of the majority of parents regarding self-medication in their children were found to be acceptable. However, despite that many of the parents were educated, but the knowledge of many of them about self-medication was insufficient. Significant associations were found between the use of self-medication and both occupation and the number of children. Health providers should raise awareness regarding the harmful effects of self-medication. Pharmacies should prevent over-the-counter behavior regarding drugs that have serious side effects. Moreover, social media should have a bigger role in raising awareness about self-medication. More studies regarding this topic should be done to help assess the situation. DECLARATION Ethical approval: Ethical clearance was obtained from ethics the review committee and administrative authorities of the King Saud Hospital. The participants’ privacy and confidentiality were maintained. Competing interest: The authors declare that they have no competing interest. Authors’ contribution: All authors carried out the research (data collection, analysis, and writing), presented the findings, and reviewed the findings. Funding: Not applicable. Availability of data and materials: Not applicable. REFERENCES Attia NA, Ahmed AE, Zafar T, Elawad MA, Alhaj O. The Prevalence of Self-Medication Among Mothers in Burri District, Sudan. European Journal of Biomedical. 2017;4(12):16-8. Azhar MI, Gunasekaran K, Kadirvelu A, Gurtu S, Sadasivan S, Kshatriya BM. Self-medication: awareness and attitude among Malaysian urban population. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health. 2013 Jun 1;5(6):436. Bennadi D. Self-medication: A current challenge. J Basic Clin Pharm. 2013 Dec;5(1):19-23. World Health Organization. Self-medication practice among patients in a public health care system. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 2011, 17(5) From: https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-17/issue-5/article8.html [Accessed December 10, 2023]. Youaremom, 3 Dangers of self-medicating children, 2 Sep 2018. From: https://youaremom.com/health/self-medicating-children/ [Accessed December 10, 2023]. Side Effects and Dangers of Self Medication. PharmEasy Blog. 2015. From: https://pharmeasy.in/blog/side-effects-and-dangers-of-self-medication-normal/ [Accessed December 10, 2023]. Ruiz ME. Risks of self-medication practices. Curr Drug Saf. 2010 Oct;5(4):315-23. People prefer self-medication since it is immediate, there are no doctor charges, and there is a lack of transportation and fees associated with distant hospitals or clinics. However, if they have significant health problems, their medical expenses would double and their health will be irreversibly harmed [8]. Ahmed N, Ijaz S, Manzoor S, Sajjad S. Prevalence of self-medication in children under-five years by their mothers in Yogyakarta city Indonesia. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Aug;10(8):2798-2803. Alsuhaibani R, Alsuhaibani M. Self-medication among Saudi children by parents in Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. Majmaah Journal of Health Sciences. 2020 Feb 18;8(1):53-. Simon B, Kazaura M. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Parents Self-Medicating Under-Fives with Antibiotics in Bagamoyo District Council, Tanzania: a Cross-Sectional Study. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2020 Aug 19;14:1445-1453. Mukuku O, Katumbo AM, Tshiningi TS, Sinanduku JS, Mudisu LK, Mwadi PM, Luboya ON, Malonga FK. The practice of self-medication in children by their mothers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Advanced Pediatrics and Child Health. 2020 Jul 17;3(1):027-31. Gohar UF, Khubaib S, Mehmood A. Self-medication trends in children by their parents. J Develop Drugs. 2017 Jan;6(2):1-7. 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These concerns have been extensively documented globally. One typical self-care technique is self-medication. This is a more common practice, especially in poorer nations [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Other names for it include over-the-counter (OTC) and non-prescription [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Drugs from prior prescriptions that may occasionally be used for symptoms that the parents are aware of must exist in certain households [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Without medical supervision, drug use can raise the risk of pathogen resistance, improper, erroneous, or excessive therapy, missed diagnoses, delays in necessary treatment, and increased morbidity [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe World Health Organization defines self-medication as the use and selection of drugs by individuals to treat self-identified ailments or symptoms. Furthermore, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (IPF) defines self-medication as the use of non-prescription medications by persons on their own initiative [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e]. In general, self-medication is defined as \"the use of drugs, herbs, or home remedies on one's own initiative or on the advice of another person, without consulting a doctor [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\" OTC pharmaceuticals are medications that are sold directly to consumers without the need for a prescription from a healthcare professional. OTC medications include pain relievers, cough and cold cures, anti-allergy medications, vitamins, and vitality tonics. Although these medications are thought to be risk-free and useful for treating common health issues, excessive usage might result in serious side effects and negative reactions [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-medication is not a safe practice. Risks associated with self-medication include: incorrect self-diagnosis, delays in seeking medical advice when necessary, infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect administration, incorrect dosage, incorrect choice of therapy, masking of a severe disease and risk of dependence, diarrhea, vomiting, cough, and upper respiratory tract infection [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. It can have long-term or short-term consequences, and it can sometimes be fatal. One of the issues that self-medication can create is an overdose, which can lead to child poisoning. Another issue is antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics must be administered by parents under the guidance of a certified medical practitioner [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost medications used have a license that says exactly how the medicine should be used. However, this license may not include use in children, or a particular illness or condition [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. The patient's active participation in his or her own health care, better utilization of physicians' and pharmacists' skills, and a reduced (or, at the very least, optimized) load on governments due to health expenditure associated with the treatment of minor health disorders. However, self-medication is far from a perfectly safe practice, especially when it is not done responsibly. Potential risks of self-medication include: incorrect self-diagnosis, delays in seeking medical advice when needed, infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect administration, incorrect dosage, incorrect therapy selection, masking of a severe disease, and the risk of dependence and abuse [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEven for minor health conditions, the use of non-prescribed drugs can lead to complications. Over-the-counter medications, for example, are widely available [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. But what we don't realize is that self-medication exposes us to allergies, drug dependence, addiction, disabilities, and even premature death; it wastes resources, increases resistance to pathogens, and causes serious health risks such as adverse reactions and prolonged suffering [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Antimicrobial resistance is a worldwide issue, particularly in developing nations where antibiotics are freely available [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePeople prefer self-medication since it is immediate, there are no doctor charges, and there is a lack of transportation and fees associated with distant hospitals or clinics. However, if they have significant health problems, their medical expenses would double and their health will be irreversibly harmed [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA study showed that the rising development of self-medication was seen among higher secondary school education mothers with 35.3%. In the income factor, 2600K-3000K was the most common income range found in the self-medication [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. The study of Alsuhaibani et al., revealed that there is generous use of over-the-counter (OTC) medication for children by their parents in the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Most of the respondents were educated but their knowledge about OTC is insufficient [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. In Tanzania the knowledge on the appropriate use of antibiotics among parents was low. There was a need to have routine continuous health education at the community level about the use of antibiotics [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e]. In Congo 96% of the mothers self-medicate their children; 95.7% do not know the exact dosage of the drug used; 97.17% do not check the expiry date; more than 91% of the mothers use anti-malarial drugs, 41.3% use antipyretics/analgesics and 26.3% use antibiotics [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. However, according to a Pakistani Study, 63% of parents informed physicians about self-medication in their children and 18% reported that their child became sicker after self-medication. Out of total 56% of participants agreed that self-medication is unsafe for their children [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs the best of our knowledge, there are some researches done about this topic in Saudi Arabia and worldwide, but it still is a major problem. Studies found that the socioeconomic status and the educational level of the parents, as well as clinical lack of control, are some of the major reasons that lead parents to usage of self-medication. Based on the previously mentioned reasons, this study aimed to assess the knowledge and practice of parents about the use of self -medication in their children and to determine the reasons which lead to this problem in Saudi Arabia. In addition to determining the relationship between self-medication practice and socio-demographic characteristics.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"METHODOLOGY","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study was an observational descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study. Conducted at King Saud Hospital in Qassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during the period from August 2023 to October 2023.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eData was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Data was entered and computerized through Microsoft Excel then analyzed by SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics was presented in tables and diagrams for categorical variables. The association between the dependent and independent variables was tested by odd ratio and Chi-square test. A logistic regression test was used to control for confounding factors. The statistical significance was considered at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"RESULTS","content":"\u003cp\u003eA total of four-hundred twenty-seven participants were included in this study, of which (62.1%) were females, and (37.9%) were males. Among them, the age distribution was as follows: 18\u0026ndash;20 years old (1.4%), 21\u0026ndash;25 years old (4.9%), 26\u0026ndash;30 years old (15.2%), 31\u0026ndash;35 years old (25.1%), 36\u0026ndash;40 years old, (21.5%), 41\u0026ndash;45 years old (19.9%), 46\u0026ndash;50 years old (8.7%), and more than 50 years old (3.3%). Furthermore, (64.9%) were non-healthcare employees, (6.6%) were healthcare employees, and (28.6%) were unemployed. (72.8%) of the participants who graduated from the University, of which (7.5%) had postgraduate education, (16.2%) finished tertiary school, and (3.5%) finished less than tertiary school. The description of the socio-demographic characteristics of participants is in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSocio-demographic characteristics\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/caption\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudy variables\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eN (%) (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;427)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e162 (37.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e265 (62.1%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAge group in years\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;20 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e6 (1.4%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e21\u0026ndash;25 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e21 (4.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;30 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e65 (15.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e31\u0026ndash;35 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e107 (25.1%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;40 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e92 (21.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e41\u0026ndash;45 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e85 (19.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e46\u0026ndash;50 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e37 (8.7%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;50 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e14 (3.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOccupation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHealthcare employee\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e28 (6.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNon-healthcare employee\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e277 (64.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnemployed\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e122 (28.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEducational level\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLess than tertiary school\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e15 (3.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTertiary school\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e69 (16.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGraduate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e311 (72.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePostgraduate\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e32 (7.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of children\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e76 (17.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e93 (21.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e89 (20.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFour\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e78 (18.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than four\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e91 (21.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNumber (N), \u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003epercentage (%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost of the participants (78.7%) predominantly used synthetic medicines, while (21.3%) used herbal medication. Importantly, parents self-medicated their children at different frequencies during one year, (37.2%) of them more than 4 times, (19.9%) four times, (9.1% )three times, (6.6%) twice, (4%) one time, and (23.2%) never did. (66%) of parents know the right doses for children, while (34%) do not. Regarding whether parents are aware of the side effects and complications that can be caused by medications, the majority (69.8%) do, while (30.2%) do not. When asked if parents read the medication\u0026rsquo;s pamphlet, (56%) said they did, while (44%) said they did not. (63.5%) of parents complete the whole course of medication, while (36.5%) do not. Regarding parents\u0026rsquo; actions, if the child\u0026rsquo;s health did not improve with self-medication, (52.7%) of them attend the hospital, (39.3%) go to private clinics, (4%)% consult the community pharmacist, (2.3%) search for medication online. The Majority of the parents (90.9%) used OTC medication when the child\u0026rsquo;s symptoms were mild, (9.1%) in the presence of moderate symptoms, and no participant chose to use self-medication in severe or critical conditions. Knowledge and practices of parents toward OTC were summarized in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKnowledge and practices of parents toward OTC\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/caption\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudy variables\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eN (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e(n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;427)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eType of treatment\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSynthetic Medicine\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e336 (78.7%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHerbal treatment\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e91 (21.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe frequency of self-medication by parents to their children in 1 year.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e99 (23.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne time\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e17 (4.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo times\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e28 (6.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree times\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e39 (9.1%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFour times\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e85 (19.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than four times\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e159 (37.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf parents know the right dose for children\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e282 (66.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e145 (34.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf parents are aware about the side-effects and complications that can be caused by medications\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e298 (69.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e129 (30.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf parents read the medication\u0026rsquo;s pamphlet\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e239 (56.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e188 (44.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf parents complete the whole course of medication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e271 (63.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e156 (36.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParent action if the child did not improve with self-medication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo to hospital\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e225 (52.7%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo to a private clinic\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e168 (39.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsult community pharmacist\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e17 (4.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSearch internet\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e10 (2.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeek advice from friends and/or relatives\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4 (0.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContinue self-medication\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3 (0.7%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParents usually used the medication in the following cases.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMild symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e388 (90.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eModerate symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e39 (9.1%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eNumber (N), \u003c/em\u003e\u003cem\u003epercentage (%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe medicine providers varied as well, (41.7%)% were provided by a hospital, (33.0%) by a pharmacy, (15.0%) by a private clinic, while (10.3%) were received from friends and relatives. The sources of medical information were the doctor (79.4%), followed by the pharmacist (52.5%), internet (23.4%), relatives and friends (26.9%). The most frequent OTC used by the parent were antipyretics (81.5%), cough syrups (41.9%), and anti-allergy medication (23%). Moreover, the reasons for parental self-medication to their children are stated in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReasons for parental self-medication to their children\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/caption\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStatement\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDisagree N (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeutral N (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAgree N (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1.Waiting time on the clinic is too long\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e62 (14.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e101 (23.7%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e264 (61.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2.Consultation fees are too expensive\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e99 (23.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e106 (24.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e222 (52.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e3.The nearest clinic is too far away\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e140 (32.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e140 (32.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e147 (34.4%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e4.Bad attitude of healthcare workers\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e245 (57.4%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e25 (5.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e157 (36.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e5. Lack of sufficient health information from\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ethe medical provider\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e129 (30.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e155 (36.3%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e143 (33.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e6.I am expert enough\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e88 (20.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e162 (37.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e177 (41.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7.Awareness about my children dis- ease from the symptoms\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e49 (11.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e68 (15.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e310 (72.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe level of attitude toward medicine has been calculated by adding all responses from attitude questionnaires, \u0026ldquo;Knowledge and practices of parents toward OTC\u0026rdquo;) Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e. For ease of analysis, strongly disagree and disagree have been merged and coded as 1, neutral have been coded as 2, and agree and strongly agree have been merged and coded as 3. Based on the analysis, the mean score was 16.4, the minimum score was 7 and the maximum score was 23. This result has been recoded into two categories such as; 8\u0026ndash;12 as a negative attitude with 171 (40%) and 13\u0026ndash;24 as a positive attitude with 256 (60.0%). We used the chi-square test on the table to measure the association between the level of attitude and socio-demographic characteristics of participants with p-values which indicates whether the association is statistically significant. We used p-\u0026le;0.05 as a cutoff point of significant level for all statistical tests. Based on analysis, among socio-demographic characteristics that we included in the table, only occupation and number of children were found to be statistically significant (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Other demographical variables included in the table show a negative association with the level of attitude as shown in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\n\u003ctable id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAssociation between attitude toward medicine and socio demographic characteristics of participants (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;427).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/caption\u003e\n\u003cthead\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStudy variables\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePositive \u003csup\u003e(n=256)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eN (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNegative \u003csup\u003e(n=171)\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eN (%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003cth align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eP-value \u003csup\u003e\u0026sect;\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/th\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/thead\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGender\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e119 (46.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e70 (40.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.258\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e137 (53.5%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e101 (59.1%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAge group in years\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;35 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e125 (48.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e89 (52.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.514\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;35 years old\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e131 (51.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e82 (48.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOccupation\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEmployed\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e187 (73.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e107 (62.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.022\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnemployed\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e69 (27.0%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e64 (37.4%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEducational level\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTertiary and below\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e54 (21.1%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e39 (22.8%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e0.674\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGraduate and above\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e202 (78.9%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e132 (77.2%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNumber of children\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e1\u0026ndash;3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e65 (25.4%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e81 (47.4%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e0.0001\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"left\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e191 (74.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e90 (52.6%)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/td\u003e\n\u003c/tr\u003e\n\u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"DISCUSSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study was conducted to assess the knowledge and practice of parents about the use of self-medication in their children and to determine the reasons that led them to use self-medication. In addition to determining the relationship between self-medication and socio-demographic characteristics among parents attending King Saud Hospital, Al-Qassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Various published studies revealed that self-medication has been widely practiced by parents for their children regardless of the side effects it might cause [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR10 CR11 CR12\" citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. This practice should be carefully assessed due to some side effects and complications that might be encountered during the course such as; child allergy to medicine, improper dosage, wrong medicine, expired medicine, and other related drug complications.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of our study show that most of the participants were mothers with the commonest age group being 31\u0026ndash;35 years old, followed by 36\u0026ndash;40 years old, and that the majority of the parents were college graduates or above, and most of them were employees.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen comparing the prevalence of parents\u0026rsquo; use of self-medication in their children between our study and previous studies, our study showed a higher percentage than Naseer Ahmed\u0026rsquo;s study in Indonesia, Beatus Simon\u0026rsquo;s study which was done in Tanzania, and Umar Farooq Gohar\u0026rsquo;s study which was conducted in Pakistan. On the other hand, our result was less than Astrid Mukemo Katumbo\u0026rsquo;s study in Congo and Ray Alsuhaibani\u0026rsquo;s study in Saudi Arabia [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR10 CR11 CR12\" citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eRegarding knowledge and practices of parents toward self-medication, synthetic medicine was predominantly used by the parents to their children with (78.7%), and (19.9%) using self-medication for their children more than four times per year. The parents\u0026rsquo; action, if the child did not improve in self-medication, more than half of them will go to a hospital with (52.7%). When compared to the previously done study conducted by Ray Alsuhaibani in Saudi Arabia, our results show lower percentages than those found in Alsuhaibani\u0026rsquo;s study, which can be explained by the efforts that were made to raise awareness and knowledge about the use of self-medication [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe most frequent self-medication drugs used by parents were antipyretics (81.5%), cough syrups (41.9%), and anti-allergy medication (23%). This result agrees with the study of Ray Alsuhaibani in Saudi Arabia but with different percentages. This can be explained by the fact that the two studies were done in the same country and region. While Beatus Simon\u0026rsquo;s study in Tanzania had antibiotics as the most commonly used drug, and Astrid Mukemo Katumb\u0026rsquo;s study in Congo showed antimalarial, antipyretics/analgesics, and antibiotics as the most used drugs. It goes without saying that the different countries have different environments and common diseases which can affect this result [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR11\" citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Regarding the reasons for parental self-medication to their children, the results of our study showed that the commonest reasons were awareness about parents\u0026rsquo; children\u0026rsquo;s disease from the symptoms (72.6%), waiting time at the clinic being too long (61.8%), and consultation fees are too expensive (52%). Again, this result agrees with the study that was conducted in Saudi Arabia by Ray Alsuhaibani, but with different percentages [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on our results, among socio-demographic characteristics that we included, only occupation and number of children were found to be statistically significant with the use of self-medication (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Other demographical variables showed a negative association with the level of attitude. When compared to the other studies, Naseer Ahmed\u0026rsquo;s study in Indonesia showed a correlation between both education level and income, and use of self-medication. In addition, Ray Alsuhaibani\u0026rsquo;s study in Saudi Arabia showed a significant association between residence and the use of self-medication [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJust like all studies, our study has also been subjected to some limitations. First, the majority of participants in this study were mothers. Achievement of a 50:50 gender distribution of parents might not be possible as mothers usually take care of children more than fathers. In addition to that, we could not determine if parents\u0026rsquo; economic status was contributing to self-medication because the income data were not collected. Lastly, adding more important variables would be more beneficial especially when studying the knowledge and practice of parents toward self-medication.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"CONCLUSION","content":"\u003cp\u003eOverall, this study can conclude that there is a huge use of self-medication for children by parents attending King Saud Hospital, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The knowledge and practice of the majority of parents regarding self-medication in their children were found to be acceptable. However, despite that many of the parents were educated, but the knowledge of many of them about self-medication was insufficient. Significant associations were found between the use of self-medication and both occupation and the number of children.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealth providers should raise awareness regarding the harmful effects of self-medication. Pharmacies should prevent over-the-counter behavior regarding drugs that have serious side effects. Moreover, social media should have a bigger role in raising awareness about self-medication. More studies regarding this topic should be done to help assess the situation.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"DECLARATION","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval:\u003c/strong\u003e Ethical clearance was obtained from ethics the review committee and administrative authorities of the King Saud Hospital. The participants\u0026rsquo; privacy and confidentiality were maintained.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interest:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026rsquo; contribution:\u003c/strong\u003e All authors carried out the research (data collection, analysis, and writing), presented the findings, and reviewed the findings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding:\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials:\u003c/strong\u003e Not applicable.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"REFERENCES","content":"\u003col start=\"1\" type=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAttia NA, Ahmed AE, Zafar T, Elawad MA, Alhaj O. The Prevalence of Self-Medication Among Mothers in Burri District, Sudan. European Journal of Biomedical. 2017;4(12):16-8.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAzhar MI, Gunasekaran K, Kadirvelu A, Gurtu S, Sadasivan S, Kshatriya BM. Self-medication: awareness and attitude among Malaysian urban population. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine \u0026amp; Public Health. 2013 Jun 1;5(6):436.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBennadi D. Self-medication: A current challenge. J Basic Clin Pharm. 2013 Dec;5(1):19-23.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWorld Health Organization. Self-medication practice among patients in a public health care system. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 2011, 17(5) From: https://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-17/issue-5/article8.html [Accessed December 10, 2023].\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYouaremom, 3 Dangers of self-medicating children, 2 Sep 2018. From: https://youaremom.com/health/self-medicating-children/ [Accessed December 10, 2023].\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSide Effects and Dangers of Self Medication. PharmEasy Blog. 2015. From: https://pharmeasy.in/blog/side-effects-and-dangers-of-self-medication-normal/ [Accessed December 10, 2023].\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRuiz ME. Risks of self-medication practices. Curr Drug Saf. 2010 Oct;5(4):315-23. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople prefer self-medication since it is immediate, there are no doctor charges, and there is a lack of transportation and fees associated with distant hospitals or clinics. However, if they have significant health problems, their medical expenses would double and their health will be irreversibly harmed [8].\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAhmed N, Ijaz S, Manzoor S, Sajjad S. Prevalence of self-medication in children under-five years by their mothers in Yogyakarta city Indonesia. J Family Med Prim Care. 2021 Aug;10(8):2798-2803.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAlsuhaibani R, Alsuhaibani M. Self-medication among Saudi children by parents in Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia. Majmaah Journal of Health Sciences. 2020 Feb 18;8(1):53-.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSimon B, Kazaura M. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Parents Self-Medicating Under-Fives with Antibiotics in Bagamoyo District Council, Tanzania: a Cross-Sectional Study. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2020 Aug 19;14:1445-1453.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMukuku O, Katumbo AM, Tshiningi TS, Sinanduku JS, Mudisu LK, Mwadi PM, Luboya ON, Malonga FK. The practice of self-medication in children by their mothers in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo. Journal of Advanced Pediatrics and Child Health. 2020 Jul 17;3(1):027-31.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGohar UF, Khubaib S, Mehmood A. Self-medication trends in children by their parents. J Develop Drugs. 2017 Jan;6(2):1-7.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"Northern Borders university","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"knowledge of parent, practice of parent, self-medication, children","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3833590/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3833590/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAim:\u003c/strong\u003e To assess the knowledge and practice of parents about the use of self-medication in their children and to determine the reasons that lead to this situation. In addition to determining the relationship between self-medication practice and socio-demographic characteristics. An observational cross-sectional intuitional-based study including 427 parents regarding children's self-medication was conducted in King Saud Hospital in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResult: \u003c/strong\u003eA total of 427 participants were included in this study; (62.1%) of them were females, and (37.9%) were males. The commonest age group was found to be 31–35 years old (25.1%). Most of the participants (72.8%) were graduates, while (7.5%) were postgraduates. Most of the participants (78.7%) predominantly used synthetic medicines, while (21.3%) used herbal medication. The majority of the parents (69.8%) were aware of the side effects and complications of the medications. The most frequent self-medications used by the parents were antipyretics (81.5%), cough syrups (41.9%), and anti-allergy medication (23%). Moreover, reasons for parental self-medication of their children were awareness about their children’s disease from the symptoms (72.6%), waiting time at the clinic for too long (61.8%), and consultation fees being too expensive (52%). Among the socio-demographic characteristics that we included in the table, only occupation and the number of children were found to be statistically significant (p≤0.05).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusion: \u003c/strong\u003eOverall, this study can conclude that there is a huge use of self-medication for children by parents attending King Saud Hospital, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. The knowledge and practice of the majority of parents regarding self-medication in their children were found to be acceptable. However, despite that, many of the parents were educated, but their knowledge of many of them about self-medication was insufficient. Significant associations were found between the use of self-medication and both occupation and the number of children.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Parents Awareness about the Use of Self-Medication in Children, Saudi Arabia, 2023","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-01-05 04:42:59","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3833590/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"60cfa107-9a0f-4067-b435-128ae6f64464","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 5th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":27940818,"name":"Clinical Pharmacology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-01-05T04:42:59+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-01-05 04:42:59","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3833590","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3833590","identity":"rs-3833590","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}