PREVALENCE OF SELF-MEDICATION IN WOMEN

Abstract

Objective: To identify how self-medication occurs in women and what reasons lead them to self-medicare, as well as to identify the reasons that lead to self-medication, including whether or not there is a science of its consequences. Methods: This is an exploratory-descriptive research, with a quantitative cross-sectional approach. The study included 209 women over 18 years of age. The instrument was a questionnaire in electronic format, in Google Forms®, delivered via social networks. Results: The results showed that analgesic class medications are the most used, followed by the class of anti-inflammatory and antiallergic drugs, and the use of these drugs is more frequent by women who attended higher education, followed by women with incomplete higher education. Of the women who are currently pregnant or who have already had children, it was found that self-medication is interrupted in 34% of the participants. Conclusion: It is concluded that the population of women participating in this study - especially those with higher education - self-medicate, but tend to change this habit when discovering a pregnancy.