Medication Knowledge, Safe Use of Medicines and Health Literacy in Southern Taiwan: A Cross-section Study

Journal Title: Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research - Year 2016, Vol 16, Issue 3

Abstract

Introduction: There was a high prevalence of non-prescribed medicine usage in Taiwan the reasons for this phenomenon may be the false advertisements on underground radio programs that exaggerate the efficacy of non-prescribed medicines combined with inadequate medication knowledge and the high prevalence of adverse self-medication of Taiwanese people. As the result, it is critical to investigate the health literacy in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between medication knowledge, safe use of medicines and health literacy in southern Taiwan. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was used in the study. A total of 513 residents were recruited and 87 of these were excluded because of invalid data, giving a response rate of 83.0%. Data were collected from February to August 2013. Results: From 426 residents who participated in the study, 60.6% were women. The mean age of study participants was 45.8±5.2 years and the majority of them (38.7%, N=165) were between 31-50 years old. Health literacy was positively associated with medication knowledge (r =.520, p<.01) and safe use of medicines (r =.643, p<.01). Medication knowledge was positively related to safe use of medicines (r =.378, p<.01). Conclusion: Medical knowledge and safe use of medicines affect health literacy. Residents with appropriate medical knowledge, reduce adverse self medication behaviors, and promote health literacy.

Authors and Affiliations

Min-Li Chen, Hui-Shan Chan, Hui-Ying Chu, Li-Na Chou

Keywords

Related Articles

Diagnosis of Urological Cancer by 1H NMR Based Metabonomics Urinalysis: A Pilot Study

Aims: The most prevalent urological malignancies are prostate cancer (PC), bladder cancer (BC) and renal cancer (RC). The diagnosis of each of these diseases is conducted, in most cases, invasively and each procedure may...

Laparoscopic Myomectomy in a Tertiary Care Centre in Douala, Cameroon

Objective: To assess the feasibility and outcome of laparoscopic myomectomy with single or double-layer closure of myoma bed for management of myomas at a tertiary care centre in Douala, Cameroon. Materials and Methods:...

Biological Post: A Reconstructive Approach to Achieve Aesthetics

Traumatic injuries lead to fracture of anterior teeth, frequently occurs in dentistry and the prevalence rate of fractured anterior teeth, as a result of traumatic injuries, occurs 8.1 in 1000. The fracture of a tooth is...

The Relationship between Gestational Diabetes, Enamel Hypoplasia and DMFT in Children: A Clinical Study in Southern Iran

Background: Odontogenesis begins from the sixth week of fetal life; meanwhile, the subsequent evolution is very complex and takes a long time. As a part of odontogenesis, amelogenesis can be altered by local and systemic...

Comparative Analysis of the Villous Abnormalities of Placentae in Pregnancy Induced Hypertension with that of Normal Pregnancy

Comparative Analysis of the Villous Abnormalities of Placentae in Pregnancy Induced Hypertension with that of Normal Pregnancy Background: Hypertension is one of the common complications seen in pregnancies in the develo...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP341275
  • DOI 10.9734/BJMMR/2016/26384
  • Views 84
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Min-Li Chen, Hui-Shan Chan, Hui-Ying Chu, Li-Na Chou (2016). Medication Knowledge, Safe Use of Medicines and Health Literacy in Southern Taiwan: A Cross-section Study. Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research, 16(3), 1-8. https://europub.co.uk./articles/-A-341275