Abstract
Background: Medicine education in Japan was introduced to junior high schools in 2012. However, the effectiveness of existing education programs is limited. In order to develop more effective programs for high school students, the present study investigated the variables that directly influence medicine use behavior and the magnitude of their influence, using a Bayesian network analysis.Methods: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017. Eighty-three public high schools across Japan were randomly selected, and questionnaires were administered to 15–16 years old 10th grade students. The number of valid responses was 17,437 (effective response rate was 98.46%). Responses were analyzed to measure students’ behavior toward, attitudes regarding, and knowledge of medicines, and awareness of their prior medicine education.Results: Students’ “attitude score” and “awareness of a class” directly influenced their “behavior score.” The “score on attitude,” which had a large influence on “score on behavior,” was directly influenced by “score on knowledge of proper use” and “awareness of class.”Conclusion: The present study argues that acquiring knowledge of appropriate medicine use leads to the acquisition of favorable attitudes, which may result in behavioral change. Therefore, for medicine education, it is expected that incorporating content related to knowledge acquisition for changing attitudes will be important for promoting behavioral change.
Highlights
As Japan’s society ages, the amount spent on medical care has increased
As part of environmental improvements to support self-medication practices, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare introduced the Revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare-Japan, 2004) in 2006, which greatly changed the system for selling over the counter (OTC) drugs
Policies regarding environmental improvement and health education for promoting self-medication were introduced across Japan
Summary
As Japan’s society ages, the amount spent on medical care has increased. In 2014, Japan’s medical expenses reached 40.8 trillion yen, exceeding 40% of its national budget (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare-Japan, 2016). In order to change or promote health-related behaviors, including self-medication, health education is considered a necessary component (Green and Kreuter, 1991). As part of environmental improvements to support self-medication practices, Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare introduced the Revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare-Japan, 2004) in 2006, which greatly changed the system for selling over the counter (OTC) drugs. The ministry indicated a need for “medicine education” in schools as a supplementary resolution to the revised Pharmaceutical Affairs Law. As a result, policies regarding environmental improvement and health education for promoting self-medication were introduced across Japan. In order to develop more effective programs for high school students, the present study investigated the variables that directly influence medicine use behavior and the magnitude of their influence, using a Bayesian network analysis
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