Factors associated to medicine use among children from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort (Brazil).
OBJECTIVE
To identify factors associated to medicine use among children from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort, Brazil.


METHODS
Prospective study to evaluate medicine use in children aged 3, 12 and 24 months regardless of the reasons, therapeutic indication or class. The study included 3,985 children followed up at three months of age, 3,907 at 12 months, and 3,868 at the last follow-up time of 24 months. Mothers were interviewed to collect information on medicine use during the recall period of 15 days prior to the interview. The outcome was studied according to sociodemographic and perinatal variables, mother's perception of child's health and breastfeeding status. Crude and adjusted analyses were performed by Poisson regression following a hierarchical model.


RESULTS
The prevalence of medicine use ranged from 55% to 65% in the three follow-ups. After controlling for confounders, some variables remained associated to medicine use only at the three-month follow-up with greatest use among children of younger mothers, those children who had intrapartum complications, low birthweight, were never breastfed and were admitted to a hospital. Greatest medicine use was also associated with being a firstborn child at 3 and 12 months; mother's perception of their child health as fair or poor and children whose mothers have private health insurance at 12 and 24 months; highest maternal education level at all follow-up times.


CONCLUSIONS
Different variables influence medicine use among children during the first two years of life and they change as the child ages especially maternal factors and those associated to the child's health problems.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva. Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, São Leopoldo, RS, Brasil. proedilson@ibest.com.br
Edilson Almeida de
EA
Oliveira
Andréa Dâmaso
AD
Bertoldi
Marlos Rodrigues
MR
Domingues
Iná S
IS
Santos
Aluísio J D
AJ
Barros
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations