title: Self medication and health habits in the management of upper gastrointestinal symptoms.
abstract: Upper gastrointestinal symptoms are a common complaint among the general population but only a small proportion of sufferers seek medical advice. The aim of this study was to examine what kind of perceptions persons using self medication have about the causes of their gastrointestinal symptoms, whether they have made any health-related lifestyle changes, and whether visits to a physician are related to lifestyle changes. A pharmacy-based survey was done in 10 pharmacies in the Helsinki area in 1995. The questionnaire was completed by 292 customers. The response rate was 53%. Respondents in a population-based health interview survey (n = 10,410) were used as a comparison group for poor health-behavior (consumption of tobacco, alcohol, coffee). The most common perceived causes of gastrointestinal symptoms were poor diet, coffee, and stress. Ignorance about possible causes of symptoms was especially common among less educated respondents and among those persons who had never visited a physician due to their symptoms. Respondents were significantly more often smokers and they had attempted to reduce their coffee and alcohol consumption more often than the general population. Those who had visited a physician during past year, less often had poor health-behavior and they had better knowledge about the possible causes of their symptoms. They had also made lifestyle changes more often, but after adjustment for background characteristics, physician visits were positively correlated only with coffee reduction. Counseling about healthy lifestyles, especially about smoking, should be increased in physician consultations and in pharmacies for all patients and customers having gastrointestinal problems.
authors.affiliation: Stakes (National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health), Helsinki, Finland. sinikka.sihvo@stakes.fi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sihvo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hemminki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015984:Causality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012651:Self Medication / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires