[The influence of the advertising in the medication use in a group of elderly attended in a primary health care unit in Aracaju (Sergipe, Brasil)].
The growth of the Brazilian elderly people has led to a trend to an increase in the medication use. The inadequate use of drugs can be induced by some factors, like advertisement, with the risk of damaging the user's health. The objective of the study was to evaluate the advertisement influence in medication use in a group of elderly patients in a primary health care unit in Aracaju, Sergipe, Brazil. 230 elderly aging over 60 years with both genders had been interviewed from April to June of 2007. The majority of the interviewees (73%) has at least a chronic health condition and 73.9% consumed regularly at least one medication. 17.8% of the sample informed to use medication motivated by publicity influence; 2.2% had considered that the medication never cause damages and 6.5% believed that always it makes well. In this study, correlations have been made and demonstrated that those who presented a higher level of consumption influenced by advertising also think that drugs used are always beneficial and vice versa (p= 0.04). The data showed that part of elderly suffered influence of advertisement to medication use, and are not conscious of risks involved.
Laboratório de Ensino e Pesquisa em Farmácia Social, Departamento de Fisiologia, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, São Cristóvão, SE. lyra_jr@hotmail.com
Divaldo Pereira
DP
de Lyra
Aline Souza
AS
Neves
Karine Santos
KS
Cerqueira
Paulo Sergio
PS
Marcellini
Tatiane Cristina
TC
Marques
José Augusto Cabral
JA
de Barros
D000329:Advertising; D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004345:Drug Industry; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care