title: Parental symptoms and children's use of medicine for headache: data reported by parents from five Nordic countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the association between parent's headache and symptom load and children's medicine use, and whether these associations are robust across countries and socio-demographic strata.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population included random samples of children from age 2 to 17 in five Nordic countries (participation rate 67.6%, n = 10,317). Outcome measure was child's medicine use for headache. Determinants were the mother's and father's headache and symptom load. Analyses were stratified by country, age group and socio-economic status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of children's medicine use varied across countries between 13.7 and 21.3%. Girls' medicine use for headache was associated with mother's headache (OR = 2.00), father's headache (OR = 1.85), mother's symptom load (OR = 1.84) and father's symptom load (OR = 1.48). Boys' medicine use was only associated with mothers' headache (OR = 1.68) and symptom load (OR = 1.51). Associations remained significant after adjustment for the child's headache and were robust across countries and socio-demographic strata.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents' symptom experience seems to influence their children's medicine use over and above medicine use indicated by symptoms. Two potential explanations are suggested: a socialization pathway and/or a pathway through adverse living conditions.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark. anan@niph.dk
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Bjørn E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Holstein
authors.forename: Leeni
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Berntsson
authors.forename: Ebba Holme
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D017891:Pharmacoepidemiology; D055553:Prescription Drugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012537:Scandinavian and Nordic Countries / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D055553:Prescription Drugs