Self-medicating Moms Likely to Give Kids Pain Meds

According to a new Danish study, mothers who often use over-the-counter pain relievers are more likely to give them to their children too.

Researchers at the Department of Public Health at the Faculty of Health suggest that half of all the medications used worldwide are non-prescription. The study underlined the concern that more parents are giving over-the-counter medications to their young children, most of the times without the advice of health care professionals.

The researchers surveyed mothers of 131 Danish children ages 6 to 11 to see whether a mother's use of painkillers influences how often children take the drugs. They retrieved data on how often the children were given non-prescription pain relievers during the previous three months and during the past year. Additionally, they also asked how often the children had felt pain and other questions about the mothers' use of medication.

It was found that mothers who believed their children had pain tended to give OTC medications themselves.  They suggested that it is important that the child is seen by a physician if symptoms persist, or if the child seems generally ill in any way and parents should make sure that they are giving their children the right dosage of a medication before administrating it.


(Source: Reuters India)

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