Reported use of nonprescribed drugs in health maintenance.

The reported use of nonprescribed drugs and its relationship to other reported illness and heal-related activities of subscribers within a prepaid comprehensive medical care system were examined. The data analyzed were abstracted from a household survey of 2603 Kaiser Health Plan subscribers. The survey gathered sociodemographic, economic, attitudinal and behavioral information. The health-related information collected included reported symptom experiences, behavior when ill, and customary health and health-related practices. The findings indicate that the use of nonprescribed drugs is a frequent and in some instances, an extensive activity. Some association was found between reported self-medication activities and selected symptom experiences, use of certain health practitioners, prescribed drug use and certain health maintenance activities and perception. It is concluded that use of nonprescribed drugs appeared to be related to other health-related behaviors, but not just randomly. Also, the use of nonprescribed medicine does not appear aberrant from the perspectives of contemporary health care.