Out-of-Hospital Administration of Medication without Prescription and Associated Factors among Preschool Children

The increasing trend of administering nonprescribed medicines in children is a significant public health issue. The aim of the present study was to assess the use of medication without a prescription (MWP), including both nonprescribed medication (NPM) and prescription-only medication (POM), and identify associated factors, among preschoolers in Athens, Greece. A predesigned questionnaire was distributed to parents from May through June 2011. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis models were used to assess associations of interest. Results showed that 95.1% of parents reported administering at least one MWP, during the previous 12 months. Antipyretics (91%) were the most commonly NPM and bronchodilators (24.8%) and antibiotics (16.4%) the most common POM dispensed. Child's increased age group, lack of parental information, higher paternal education, and mother's foreign nationality were associated with increased antipyretic use (p < 0.05), while father's foreign nationality and parental age were positive predictors of antibiotic administration (p < 0.05). The likelihood of consuming antipyretics and antibiotics significantly increased when information was provided by a pharmacist (p = 0.017 and p = 0.054, resp.). Conclusively, most parents have administered at least one MWP, including antibiotics, to address symptoms of common childhood diseases, highlighting the need of information campaigns concerning the consequences of their improper use.