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A Review of the prevalence of self-medication and its associated factors among college students

  • Unique Paper ID: 167728
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 4
  • PageNo: 337-340
  • Abstract:
  • Self-medication is the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self-recognized illnesses or symptoms, as defined by the World Health Organization. Self-medication (SM) is common in both developed and developing countries, with prevalence rates ranging from 25.6 to 73.6%. It is also associated with a positive perception of the country’s healthcare system. Study shoes that the prevalence of self-medication was 55.9 %. Regarding knowledge, most students (90.3 %) agreed that self-medication might lead to administering the wrong medication, and three-fourths (74.9 %) reported that self-medication may delay the diagnosis of the disease. Most students (85.2 %) agreed that self-medication might lead to unexpected reactions. Of the study subjects, only 5.4 % disagreed that self-medication could lead to substance abuse. About (92.0 %) reported that overusing self-medication can result in drug resistance. Study shows that out of 42 respondents, 28 (66.6%) of them had reported they were agree with the concept of self-medication is harmless (P = 0.002). When the respondents were asked for is it acceptable to use self-medication when they have same symptoms of previous illness, 37 (89.1%) of them agreed with this (P = 0.00001). More than 90% (39/42) of the respondents agreed with that they would like to use self-medication for their personal use in future (P = 0.00001). On the contrary, 31 (73.8%) of them replied that they would advise others to take self-medication (P = 0.00001). According to the data, the most frequently used non-prescription medication was pain killers (52.9%), followed by vitamins and minerals (13.1%), antihistamines (9.0%), eye drops (7.7%), and nose decongestants (3.7%). Antibiotics and sleeping pills were used without a prescription in 2.9% and 2.1% of cases, respectively. When they were asked what reasons made them prefer self-medication over visiting a doctor, the most common response was that the condition was a minor health problem (38.4%). The other reasons included: quick relief (27.5%), not having time to visit a doctor (17.3%), long waiting time at doctor’s office (14.9%), did not want to go to a doctor (11.3%), lack of trust with doctor (5.1%), low cost of over-the-counter medicine (1.5%), and not easy availability of health services (1.4%).
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Cite This Article

  • ISSN: 2349-6002
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue: 4
  • PageNo: 337-340

A Review of the prevalence of self-medication and its associated factors among college students

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