Abstract:

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the health perception and rational drug use attitudes of parents of 0-18 years old children. Method: The universe of this descriptive study consisted of parents who applied to the pediatric outpatient clinics of hospitals operating in Kars province.. Data was obtained by “Descriptive Information Form”,” Health Perception Scale” and “Parental Attitude Scale for Rational Drug Use”. Results: In the study, the mean age of the parents was 32.05 ± 6.51, 51.7% of the parents were female, 40.5% were high school educational level, 68.5% were working, 58.6% of the participants' income was equal to their expenses, 69.0% of the participants lived in the nuclear family and 80.6% had social security. It was found that 85.3% of parents did not give medication to their child without consulting the physician, 96.1% received information about the drugs from their physician, and they used the most antipyretic drugs as prescription drugs to their children. When the ‘’Health Perception Scale’’ scores were examined, the total score average was 62.59±4.22 ‘’Parental Attitude Scale towards Rational Drug Use’’ was found to be 174.57±10.66. Conclusion and Suggestions: In the study, it was concluded that the parents' perception of health and rational drug use attitudes were at a high level, however, there was no relationship between them. In this context, it is recommended to carry out the research in larger and different socio-economic samples.

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