Migraine Literacy and Treatment in a University Sample
Date
2019
Authors
Goodhew, Stephanie Catherine
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer Verlag
Abstract
There are many factors that can lead to underutilization of appropriate medical treatments for migraine, including a poor
understanding regarding the diagnostic features of migraine and available treatment options. The purpose of the present study
was therefore to assess migraine literacy and factors leading to different treatment decisions. Respondents were 229 university
students, both migraineurs and non-migraineurs, who completed online questionnaires which surveyed their knowledge of
migraines, and for migraineurs, their experiences of migraine and migraine treatment. While migraineurs had significantly greater
migraine literacy than non-migraineurs according to the questions asked, knowledge was incomplete in both groups. The
majority of migraineurs who used prescription medication for acute pain relief found such medications to be very effective,
and for those who did not use such medications, one in five cited the reason was that they did not know that such medications
were available. The imperfect migraine literacy, both in terms of diagnostic features and available treatments, highlights avenues
for future public health awareness campaigns.
Description
Keywords
Migraine, Migraine knowledge, Migraine literacy, Health literacy, Migraine treatment
Citation
Collections
Source
SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
Open Access
License Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License