Medicine use and recurrent complaints among 15-years-old adolescents in Tuscany

Background. The use of medicines to treat common complaints, such as headache, stomachache, difficulty in getting to sleep and nervousness, is widespread among adolescents, and is increasing. The aim of this survey was to estimate the prevalence of recurrent specific complaints among 15-year-old adolescents in Tuscany over three years (2006, 2010 and 2014) and that of medicine use to treat these complaints among boys and girls. Methods. The present study is based on data from the Tuscan HBSC studies at three time points (2006, 2010 and 2014), which involved 2830 adolescents, aged 15 years old (1395 boys and 1435 girls). Results. Overall, the data confirm that adolescents who suffer from recurrent complaints are more likely to use medicines. The prevalence rates of all complaints were higher in girls than in boys in the three years considered. Over the whole period, headache, stomachache and difficulty in getting to sleep increased in girls, while boys displayed significant decrease in nervousness and stomachache. Conclusion. Our findings underline the fact that the use of medicines in adolescence is a public health concern and constitutes an emerging issue that needs greater attention and investigation on the part of scientific research.