New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Teens dangerously uninformed about over-the-counter medication, study finds

Date:
May 3, 2010
Source:
University of Rochester Medical Center
Summary:
The majority of teens say they have never heard of acetaminophen -- or what the appropriate dosing of it is even with access to the label instructions -- despite having taken the medication recently, according to a new study assessing teens' health literacy.
Share:
FULL STORY

The majority of teens say they have never heard of acetaminophen -- or what the appropriate dosing of it is even with access to the label instructions -- despite having taken the medication recently, according to a new University of Rochester Medical Center Study assessing teens' health literacy. More than 60 percent of the teens in the study had never before heard of acetaminophen despite 21 percent of them having taken it within the previous month.

When presented with a mock scenario in which they might choose to take acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol), nearly 85 percent of teens in the study would have put themselves at risk of overdosing on the medication that can cause liver damage. Among those teens with limited health literacy, the percentage of potential overdosing rises to 94 percent.

"Teens are starting to medicate themselves without parental input, so these numbers are incredibly concerning. Acetaminophen may be an over-the-counter medication, but that doesn't mean it is completely safe. In severe cases, misuse of it can cause liver failure," said Laura Shone, M.S.W., Dr.P.H., associate professor of Pediatrics at URMC's Golisano Children's Hospital and author of the abstract presented at the Pediatric Academic Society meeting in Vancouver, Canada.

The study recruited 266 young people in Monroe County, N.Y., between the ages of 16 and 23 in 2008 and 2009. The adolescents' health literacy was assessed through the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) survey for participants 18 and older and the REALM-Teen for those younger than 18. About 36 percent of teens had limited health literacy and 64 percent had adequate health literacy.

This study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development.


Story Source:

Materials provided by University of Rochester Medical Center. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

University of Rochester Medical Center. "Teens dangerously uninformed about over-the-counter medication, study finds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 3 May 2010. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100502080416.htm>.
University of Rochester Medical Center. (2010, May 3). Teens dangerously uninformed about over-the-counter medication, study finds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 11, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100502080416.htm
University of Rochester Medical Center. "Teens dangerously uninformed about over-the-counter medication, study finds." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100502080416.htm (accessed December 11, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES