Self-Medication Practices among Parents in Italy

Table 1

Characteristics of study participants and self-medication practices.

Characteristics	Total		Self-medication practice				Last year self-medication practice				Last year appropriateness self-medication
			Yes = 465 (69.2%)		No = 207 (30.8%)		Yes = 334 (71.8%)		No = 131 (28.2%)		Yes = 115 (34.4%)		No = 219 (65.6%)
		%		%		%		%		%		%		%
Gender
Male	182	27.1	112	24.1	70	33.8	85	25.5	27	20.6	23	20	62	28.3
Female	490	72.9	353	75.9	137	66.2	249	74.5	104	79.4	92	80	157	71.7
Age	45.5 ± 6.7 (24–70)^*		45 ± 6.5 (24–70)^*		46.6 ± 7 (32–68)^*		44.8 ± 6 (24–65)		45.5 ± 7.6 (30–70)		44.1 ± 6 (31–64)^*		45.1 ± 6 (24–65)^*
<40	106	15.8	82	17.6	24	11.6	57	17.1	25	19.1	21	18.3	36	16.4
40–44	205	30.5	144	31	61	29.5	104	31.1	40	30.5	41	35.6	63	28.8
45–49	216	32.1	150	32.3	66	31.9	113	33.8	37	28.2	39	33.9	74	33.8
>49	145	21.6	89	19.1	56	27	60	18	29	22.2	14	12.2	46	21
Educational level
Primary school or lower	94	14	45	9.7	49	23.7	34	10.2	11	8.4	9	7.8	25	11.4
Secondary school	308	45.8	217	46.7	91	43	150	44.9	67	51.1	51	44.4	99	45.2
College; degree or higher	270	40.2	203	43.6	67	32.3	150	44.9	53	40.5	55	47.8	95	43.4
Occupation
Employed	436	64.9	311	66.9	125	60.4	228	68.3	83	63.4	75	65.2	153	69.9
Unemployed	236	35.1	154	33.1	82	39.6	106	31.7	48	36.6	40	34.8	66	30.1
Number of sons
1	96	14.3	67	14.4	29	14	48	14.4	19	14.5	15	13.1	33	15.1
2	395	58.8	274	58.9	121	58.5	198	59.3	76	58	71	61.7	127	58
≥3	181	26.9	124	26.7	57	27.5	88	26.3	36	27.5	29	25.2	59	26.9
Self-perceived health status	7.7 ± 1.5 (1–10)^*		7.7 ± 1.4 (2–10)^*		7.6 ± 1.7 (1–10)^*		7.7 ± 1.4 (2–10)^*		7.7 ± 1.4 (4–10)^*		7.9 ± 1.4 (2–10)^*		7.5 ± 1.4 (2–10)^*
Suffering of at least one chronic disease
No	172	25.6	115	24.7	57	27.5	252	75.5	98	74.8	92	80	160	73.1
Yes	500	74.4	350	75.3	150	72.5	82	24.5	33	25.2	23	20	59	26.9
Personal health problem in the preceding twelve months
No	370	55.1	243	52.3	127	61.3	163	48.8	80	61.1	69	60	94	42.9
Yes	302	44.9	222	47.7	80	38.7	171	51.2	51	38.9	46	40	125	57.1
Had visited the physician in the preceding twelve months
No	176	26.2	123	26.5	53	25.6	81	24.2	42	32.1	36	31.3	45	20.5
Yes	496	73.8	342	73.5	154	74.4	253	75.8	89	67.9	79	68.7	174	79.5
Physicians as source of information about medicines
No	198	29.5	145	31.2	53	25.6	107	32	38	29	35	30.4	72	32.9
Yes	474	70.5	320	68.8	154	74.4	227	68	93	71	80	69.6	147	67.1
Need of additional information about medicines
No	228	33.9	302	65	142	68.6	215	64.4	87	66.4	83	72.2	132	60.3
Yes	444	66.1	163	35	65	31.4	119	35.6	44	33.6	32	27.8	87	39.7

 ^*Mean ± standard deviation (range).