Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Factors Influencing Self-Medication in Children

To evaluate the prevalence, influencing factors, and behavior rules of self-medication in children. Articles on self-medication in children from various electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, the WHO website ( https://www.who.int/ ), ABI, CNKI, and Wanfang), were searched to August 2022. The single-group meta-analyses of the prevalence, influencing factors, and behavior rules of self-medication in children were performed using Revman 5.3 and Stata 16.0. The overall pooled prevalence of self-medication in children was 57% (95% CI: 0.39-0.75, I²  = 100%, P  < .00001 Z  = 6.22). The pooled prevalence for main influencing factors, in terms of caregivers, was: 73% (95% CI: 0.72-0.75, I²  = 100%, P  < .00001, Z  = 111.18) for those in rural areas; 55% (95% CI: 0.51-0.59, P  = .04, Z  = 26.92, I²  = 68%, P  < .00001) for females; 75% (95% CI: 0.74-0.76, I²  = 68%, P  < .00001, Z  = 106.66) for those whose income was less than 716 dollars; 77% (95% CI: 0.75-0.79, I²  = 99%, P  < .000001, Z  = 92.59) for the middle-aged and elderly; and 72% (95% CI: 0.58-87, I²  = 99%, P  < .00001, Z  = 9.82) for those with a degree below bachelor. In the process of self-medication for children, 19% (95% CI: 0.06-0.32, I²  = 99%, P  < .00001, Z  = 2.82) of the caregivers did not read the instructions, 28% (95% CI: −0.03-0.60, I²  = 100%, P  < .000001, Z  = 1.77) neglected adverse effects, 49% (95% CI: 0.11-0.87, I²  = 100%, P  = .01, Z  = 2.51) spontaneously increased or decreased the dosages, 49% (95% CI: 0.48-0.55, I²  = 65%, P  < .00001, Z  = 16.51) had an awareness of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, and 41% (95% CI: 0.18-0.64, I²  = 99%, P  < .00001, Z  = 3.49) misrecognized the antibiotics. Self-medication for children was common, although the overall prevalence was not very high. The prevalence of self-medication in children was relatively higher among those caregivers who were female, rural, had low-income, were elder, or had a degree below bachelor. Common behaviors during self-medication in children included spontaneous dose increase or decrease, a lack of awareness of OTC drugs, and misconception of antibiotics. Government departments should formulate corresponding policies to provide quality health education resources for the caregivers of children