PREVALENCE AND DETERMINANTS OF SELF-MEDICATION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES OF UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, NIGERIA

Abstract

The practice of self-medication often results in mis-diagnosis and delay in appropriate treatments; thus escalating the severity of illnesses. Stressing the dangers of drug misuse among undergraduates may be difficult without evidence based information on the present situation. This study was therefore conducted to assess the prevalence and determinants of self-medication among undergraduates of University of Benin, Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional study, all the 13 faculties in the institution were grouped into three. A three-stage sampling technique was used to select faculties, departments, and 507 respondents from the Social sciences and Humanities (231 ), Sciences and Engineering (228), and Health sciences (48). A pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, sources of information, lifetime and 6-month habit of self-medication. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression at p<0.04. Mean age of respondents was 22.5±3.7 years. Most (71.3%) of the respondents were male and from the southern part of the country (79.6%). Sources of information on selfmedication were literature (59.8%), physicians (16.9%) and the media (6.9%). Most (81.5%) of the respondents had ever practiced self-medication while 41.6% had practiced self-medication in the last six months. The prevalence of self-medication in the last six months among students in the Health sciences, Social sciences and Humanities and Sciences and Engineering were 55.3%, 40.7% and 38.6% respectively. The major reasons for indulging in self-medication were perceived efficacy of the drugs (54.6%), previous experience of illness (52.9%) and perception that the act was not dangerous (42.6%). Selfmedication with analgesics (88.5%), antibiotics (37.5%) and antimalaria (33.0%) were the most prevalent. Less than half (40.3%) of respondents who practiced self-medication in the last six months, perceived that side effects emanating from indulging in self-medication included complications such as adverse drug reaction, death and drug misuse. Of all the respondents who had practiced self-medication in the last six months, 22.7% were not aware that the practice had side effects. The only factor associated with higher prevalence of selfmedication in the last six months, was being a male (OR: 1.4, 95%CI: 1.2-2.0). Having access to information on self-medication from the literature (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.3-0.7) and being from the southern part of the country (OR: 0.4, 95%CI: 0.2-.0.8),) were protective of self-medication. Self-medication was common among students of University of Benin and was associated with male gender. There is the need to promote medical counseling among the students in the University.