Volume 30, Issue 3 (Summer 2022)                   Avicenna J Nurs Midwifery Care 2022, 30(3): 163-170 | Back to browse issues page

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Zarei Mahmoudabadi Z, Marzban A, Marzban A, Servat F. Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Mothers with Children under five in the Villages Regarding Self-Medication in Ardakan city, Iran. Avicenna J Nurs Midwifery Care 2022; 30 (3) :163-170
URL: http://nmj.umsha.ac.ir/article-1-2455-en.html
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Mothers with Children under five in the Villages Regarding Self-Medication in Ardakan city, Iran
Zahra Zarei Mahmoudabadi1 , Ameneh Marzban * 2, Abdolrazagh Marzban3 , Farokhlegha Servat4
1- Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Meybod Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran
2- Department of Health in Disasters and Emergencies, School of Health Management and Information Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , amenemarzban@yahoo.com
3- Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
4- Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
Keywords: Attitude, Children, Knowledge, Mothers, Practice, Self-treatment
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Background and Objective
The excessive use of medications and, in general, self-medication are among the biggest social-health and economic problems in different societies, including Iran. Self-medication among children is a significant issue that has attracted global health attention. One of the important factors in maintaining children's health is raising the awareness of mothers and families about the importance of childhood care, especially when children develop diseases. Self-medication and excessive use of medications, especially in children under 5 years of age, due to their special physiology, may cause a change in the pattern of the disease, delay in correct diagnosis, and increase morbidity and mortality. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers with children under 5 years old about self-treatment in Ardakan villages, Iran.
Materials and Methods
This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in 2020. The samples (n=350) were selected using the multistage cluster sampling method. The required data were collected using a questionnaire employed by Tajik et al. in a previous study. The questionnaires were completed through interviews by two trained interviewers. The criteria for inclusion in the study were being a mother with a child under 5 years of age and having a health record in the healthcare centers of Ardakan villages. On the other hand, foreigners (such as Afghan mothers) referring to healthcare centers in the villages of Ardakan city were excluded from the study. The research procedures and objectives were explained to all participants and those who were willing to participate in the study were entered into the study. All the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki were observed in this study. The collected data were analyzed in SPPS24 software using descriptive statistical tests, Pearson's correlation coefficient, the Chi-square test, and the analysis of variance. The significance level was considered at 0.05.
Results
The mean age of the mothers was obtained at 32.14±8.05 years. There was a statistically significant relationship between the mean knowledge score and the education level of mothers. Based on the results of Table 2, the mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice were estimated at 5.17±4.11, 25.08±8.74, and 3.52±4.31, respectively. It was revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between the mean practice score and family income. It was also found that 58%, 51%, and 62% of the mothers had poor knowledge, poor attitude, and low practice regarding self-treatment, respectively. The most important sources of information for mothers with children under the age of 5 about self-medication were the Internet and social networks, followed by family and friends.
Conclusion
Self-medication can be mentioned as one of the most important factors that cause the drug resistance of pathogens. The side effects of medications are higher in children than in adults. Therefore, giving medications to children should be done with more care and caution, and it is necessary to avoid self-medication without a doctor's prescription. This study was conducted to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of mothers with children under 5 years of age about self-treatment living in the villages of Ardakan city. The results of the study showed that self-medication was very high in the studied population and knowledge about the complications of self-medication in children was low, highlighting the necessity of taking into consideration this issue by responsible authorities. The implementation of educational programs and workshops and distribution of education aids when mothers visit healthcare centers can be effective in raising mothers' knowledge, improving their attitude, and forming the correct behavior.
 
Type of Study: Original Research | Subject: Self-care in chronic diseases
Received: 2022/05/25 | Accepted: 2022/07/9 | Published: 2022/09/5
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