Self-treatment and some factors affecting it in adolescents in Gorgan

Abstract
Self-treatment is an important global problem. Adolescents are important groups vulnerable to self-treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency and some factors related to self-treatment in adolescents living in Gorgan.
 This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was performed on 400 adolescents living in Gorgan. Data were collected through in-person interviews and checklists. SPSS software version 16 and Pearson chi-square test were used for data analysis.
Self-treatment was observed in 50% of adolescents. Most adolescents cited cold (58%) and headache (37%) as the most important causes of self-treatment. Anti-cold (58%) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (40%) were the most important drugs used in the study. In addition, most adolescents had self-medication due to minor illness (61%) and previous drug use (42%). City pharmacies were the most important source of supply (77%). Parents and relatives were also the most important source of information for self-treatment (57%). Finally, there was a significant relationship between self-treatment and gender (P = 0.03), household dimension (P <0.001) and monthly household income (P <0.001).
Self-medication was observed in 50% of adolescents in Gorgan, which was mainly due to the use of anti-cold and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.