Children’s Perception and Belief about Medicines: Effectiveness and Its Autonomy

BACKGROUND: The use of medicines in children is usually always under the supervision of parents. Children are considered not to understand the concept of medicine properly. Children’s perceptions of medicine are mostly formed from everyday experience. This can have an impact on children’s beliefs about medicines which they are also required to be active and rational medicine users. AIM: This study aims to look at children’s perceptions and beliefs about medicines, especially in the perspective of medicine efficacy and children’s autonomy in using them. METHOD: The study was conducted with an analytical method with a cross-sectional approach using a questionnaire instrument in grade V elementary school children in Padang City, Indonesia. The total sample size obtained was 503 students. RESULTS: Children still think that medicine efficacy is influenced by taste, colour, size, medicine price, a place to buy medicine and how to get medication. 10.1% of children have stored the medicine at home, and 48.5% of children always depends on waited for their parents when they wanted to take medicine. Regarding children’s access to medicines, 11.5% of children have bought their own over-the-counter medicine to a pharmacy or medicine store without the parents’ knowledge. 31.4% of children have taken medicine at home without the parents’ knowledge. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that children’s perceptions of medicine efficacy are still very limited. Even though the child has used the medicine alone in a limited way, the child’s autonomy in using the medicine still needs to be monitored by the parent. Therefore, this is the reason for the need for medical education given to children, especially in schools as an integral part of health education.