title: Bambuí Project: a qualitative approach to self-medication.
abstract: Representations related to self-medication were investigated, seeking to identify contextual elements that can reinforce or inhibit such practice. An anthropological approach based on the model of signs, meanings, and actions was used. Twenty-nine inhabitants from the town of Bambuí, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, were interviewed (17 women and 12 men), selected among participants in a health survey that had been on medication in the previous 90 days. The research focused on the identification of different types of self-medication practiced by the interviewee or by a relative, and then "ways of thinking and behaving" associated with this practice were investigated. The influence of pharmacists/drugstore sales attendants as well as family and friends, perception of the health problem as transitory and a minor issue, familiarity with and easy access to certain pharmaceuticals, as well as difficulties in access to (and negative assessment of) health care were determinant factors for self-medication.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas René Rachou, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. aloy@uai.com.br
authors.forename: Antônio I de
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Loyola Filho
authors.forename: Maria Fernanda
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Lima-Costa
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Uchôa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D004366:Nonprescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000592:standards; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012651:Self Medication / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D004366:Nonprescription Drugs