HHS HealthBeat (July 2, 2009)

Not knowing

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Just because teenagers can buy over-the-counter pain relievers doesn’t mean they know how to use them safely. Researchers found this in a survey, when they questioned almost 100 teens.

The average knowledge score was 44 percent – not exactly passing. At the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, Karen Wilson:

[Karen Wilson speaks] "These are not benign medications all the time, and so they need to be careful about what they’re taking, and take them only when they need to, only for the prescribed reasons."

Not knowing, for instance, what the active ingredient is could leave a teen taking the same drug in several medications and getting an overdose. So, like adults, teens need to read and follow label directions.

The study presented at a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Society was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May 7, 2011