Self-medication in adolescents of the systemeducatinalin the city of Picos/Piauí

Objective: To analyze the practice of self-medication by adolescents of the Picos-PI state education system. Method:A descriptive and cross-sectional study with 209 adolescents. The data collection took place in weekly meetings through a questionnaire. Results: The most prevalent age group was 17 years (94.9%), 122 (58.4%) female, living with family 129 (61.7%), urban area 179 (85.7%), , and Catholics 149 (71.2%). 209 (100%) practice self-medication, fever being the main symptom 120 (57.4%), and the tablet the most consumed pharmaceutical form 168 (57.4%). The main motivation for self-medication was the ease of obtaining drugs outside health facilities 103 (49.3%), and 141 (67.5%) agree that advertisements influence this behavior. Conclusion: Adolescents practice self-medication with high frequency, which points to the need for strategic actions at the local level to reduce this practice