Table 1
Demographic characteristics of parents (N=229)
| n (%) | |
|---|---|
| Number of children (below 18 yr) | |
| 1 | 102 (44.5%) |
| 2 | 91 (39.8%) |
| 3+ | 36 (15.7%) |
| Place of living | |
| Rural area | 81 (35.4%) |
| City < 10,000 population | 12 (5.2%) |
| City 10,000-100,000 population | 28 (12.2%) |
| City > 100,000 population | 107 (46.7%) |
| Subjective family socioeconomic status | |
| High | 158 (69.0%) |
| Moderate | 69 (30.1%) |
| Low | 2 (0,9%) |
| Education: mother | |
| Primary | 7 (3.1%) |
| Secondary | 75 (32.7%) |
| Bachelor | 11 (4.8%) |
| High | 136 (59.4%) |
| Education: father | |
| Primary | 13 (5.7%) |
| Secondary | 105 (45.9%) |
| Bachelor | 8 (3.5) |
| High | 102 (44.5%) |
| Parent’s age | |
| ≤ 30 | 94 (42%) |
| >30 | 131 (58%) |
Table 2
Socio-demographic and personal characteristics of children hospitalised in the Department of Paediatrics, University Children’s Hospital in Krakow, taking OTC antipyretic drugs
| Children using OTC antipyretics n (%) | All children in the study n | |
|---|---|---|
| Total no. of participants | 178 | 227 |
| Child’s gender | ||
| Males | 97 (54.8%) | 121 (53.3%) |
| Females | 79 (44.6%) | 105 (46.3%) |
| Prematurity | 21 (12%) | 31 (13.8%) |
| Delivery | ||
| 1 | 83 (50.6%) | 115 (54.2%) |
| 2 | 61 (37.2%) | 71 (33.5%) |
| 3+ | 20 (12.2%) | 26 (12.3%) |
| Average grams (SD) birth weight; | 3234(+/- 609) | 3227(+/-697) |
| Chronic diseases | 26 (15.1%) | 34 (15.3%) |
| Allergic diseases | 38 (21.3%) | 45 (19,8%) |
Table 3
Frequency and motives of administering OTC antipyretic drugs to children by their parents: analysis regarding parent’s age
| Age ≤ 30 years | Age > 30 years | P and test used | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n=90) | (n=126) | ||
| Use of OTC antipyretics | 63 (70%) | 106 (84%) | 0.0315p |
| Frequency of using OTC: paracetamol | |||
| When required (pain, fever) | 72 (80%) | 108 (86%) | 0.2990p |
| Once a week | 0 | 0 | |
| Once a day | 1 (1%) | 0 | |
| I do not use | 16 (18%) | 17 (14%) | |
| Frequency of using OTC: ibuprofen | |||
| When required (pain, fever) | 62 (69%) | 108 (86%) | 0.0159p* |
| Once a week | 0 | 0 | |
| Once a day | 1 (1%) | 0 | |
| I do not use | 26 (29%) | 18 (14%) | |
| Reason for administering OTC antipyretics | |||
| Pain | 17 (19%) | 44 (35%) | 0.0089p* |
| Fever | 70 (78%) | 111 (89%) | 0.0289p* |
| Doctor’s advice | 40 (44%) | 66 (53%) | 0.2267p |
| Common cold/flu | 21 (23%) | 34 (27%) | 0.5544p |
Table 4
Sources of information and place of purchase OTC antipyretics - analysis regarding parent’s age.
| Age ≤ 30 years | Age > 30 years | P and test | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (n=90) | (n=126) | used | |
| Place of purchasing OTC antipyretics | |||
| Pharmacy | 82 (91%) | 122 (97%) | 0.0707p |
| General store/ convenience store | 2 (2%) | 5 (4%) | 0.4750p |
| Petrol station | 2 (2%) | 0 | 0.0927p |
| Source of health risk information about OTC antipyretics | |||
| Family, friends | 28 (31%) | 39 (31%) | 0.9802p |
| TV, Internet | 20 (22%) | 38 (30%) | 0.1944p |
| Health care providers | 79 (88%) | 104 (83%) | 0.2915p |
| Source of information about OTC antipyretics’ dosage | |||
| Container label/ medication insert | 68 (76%) | 110 (87%) | 0.0254p* |
| TV, Internet | 13 (14%) | 5 (4%) | 0.0060p* |
| Family, friends | 10 (11%) | 4 (3%) | 0.0195p* |
| Health care providers | 69 (77%) | 94 (75%) | 0.7282p |
| Own knowledge experience and | 6 (7%) | 9 (7%) | 0.8920p |
Table 5
Age of parents, taking into account the preferred source of knowledge regarding the administration of appropriate doses of OTC antipyretic drugs to their children
| Where do you get information about the dosage of antipyretic medications for children? | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | p | |
| Container years) label (mean age (SD); | 32.52 (6.02) | 31.37 (6.86) | 0.1471W |
| Internet, TV (mean age (SD); years) | 29.60 (5.13) | 32.57 (6.22) | 0.0319W* |
| Family, years) friends (mean age (SD); | 29.47 (7.35) | 32.51 (6.06) | 0.0425W* |
| Health (SD); years) care providers (mean age | 32.11 (6.03) | 32.88 (6.62) | 0.4817W |
| According to my own experience and knowledge (mean age (SD); years) | 34.18 (8.47) | 32.15 (5.95) | 0.5200W |