Variables which influence older women's self-medication practices

This descriptive study was designed to investigate the relationship of intrinsic motivation, health perception, and medication knowledge to the self-medication practices of older women. Medication knowledge was the strongest predictor of self-medication practices in 90 women over the age of 60 (M=68.7). The majority of the subjects were widowed black ladies who lived with at least one family member and perceived their economic situation to be less than adequate to meet their needs. Findings included a significant relationship between self-medication practices and medication knowledge (~=.42, Q=.01, n=90). Medication knowledge explained 17% (~2 =.16778) of the variance in self-medication scores. Perceived health, intrinsic motivation and demographic parameters did not contribute significantly to the prediction equation. Results indicated that knowledge may be used to predict self-medication practices in older women so that optimal use may be made of time and financial resources.