Self‐medication patterns among Turkish university students

Year 2021, Volume: 13 Issue: 2, 257 - 264, 07.06.2021

Gamze Gursul Cihan Fidan Ergun Oksuz , Altuğ Kut

https://doi.org/10.18521/ktd.773128

Cited By: 2

Abstract

Objective: Self-medication is an important self-care practice that creates different fields for pharmaceutical companies and reduces the state's health costs and the time spent by the physician. This study aims to determine the prevalence of self-medication practice among university students in Turkey, along with the effective factors and self-medication practices.

Methods: With the aim of conducting a descriptive cross-sectional study, this study was conducted with the participation of 494 undergraduate students selected through a stratified random weight-proportional sample. The students were asked to fill in a self-report questionnaire form including introductory characteristics and self-medication practices. Analyses were carried out using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression.

Results: Of the participants, 64.4% (n=318) were female and 35.6% (n=176) were male. The mean age was 20.9 ± 2.0 (18-29) years. It was determined that 15.8% (n=78) of the participants were using a prescription medication continuously due to a chronic disease. The prevalence of self-medication at any time was determined to be 81.6% (n=403). The prevalence of self-medication was found to be 84.9% in females and 75.6% in males (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2-3.3, p=0.005). As a source of self-medication, 75.4% of the students (n=304) stated that self-medication drugs were previously prescribed by a physician. Of the participants, 27.5% (n=111) bought the medication by their own preferences and experiences. The most common self-medication symptoms of the participants were headache (90.8%) and common cold (59.8%). Other causes included muscle/joint pain, dysmenorrhea, and dyspeptic complaints. Self-medication drug groups were in the form of analgesics in 95.9% (n=259) of females and in 93.2% (n=123) of males. This was followed by cold drugs (58.2%), myorelaxants (47.5%), drugs with vitamin or mineral ingredients (41.8%), respectively. The prevalence of antibiotic self-medication was found to be 9.5% in the self-medication group and 7.7% for all participants. The thought of mild disease (77.6%) ranked first among the reasons for preferring self-medication. The prevalence of patient information leaflet reading behavior was 82.2% in the self-medication group. Due to self-medication, 8.2% (n=33) of the students experienced a adverse-effect at any time. The students in the self-medication group believed that there would not be serious adverse-effects caused by the OTC drugs even if they caused adverse-effect (30.5%) or that they would not cause any adverse-effects at all (3.8%).

Conclusion : Self-medication is a common behavior among university students, with higher rates in females. Students practice this largely by relying on their previous experiences. They mostly prefer medicines previously given by their physicians for similar conditions. Opportunities must be used to inform people on OTC drugs.

Keywords

self-medication, youth, self-care

Supporting Institution

Baskent Universitesi

Project Number

KA17/123

Thanks

Baskent Universitesi

Üniversite Öğrencilerinde Kendi Kendine İlaç Kullanımı

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmada Türkiye’de üniversite öğrencilerinde sıklığının ve etkili olan faktörlerin belirlenmesi amaçlanmıştır.

Gereç ve Yöntem: Kesitsel tanımlayıcı çalışma için tabakalı rastlantısal ağırlık orantılı örneklem ile seçilen 494 lisans öğrencisinin katılımıyla çalışma yürütülmüştür. Öğrencilere kendi-kendine cevaplayacakları tanıtıcı özellikler ve kendi-kendine tedavi uygulamalarını kapsayan bir soru formu uygulanmıştır. Tanımlayıcı istatistikler ve ikili lojistik regresyon kullanılarak analizler yapılmıştır.

Bulgular: Herhangi bir zamanda kendi-kendine tedavi sıklığı %81,6 (n=403) olarak tespit edilmiştir. Kendi-kendine tedavi sıklığı kadınlarda %84,9 ve erkeklerde %75,6 (OR 2,0, %95 GA 1,2-3,3, p=0,005) olarak bulunmuştur. Katılımcıların %27,5’i (n=111) kendi tercih ve tecrübeleri ile ilaçları satın almıştır. Katılımcıların ilaç aldıkları semptomları en sık baş ağrısı (%90,8) olmuştur. Kendi-kendine tedavi ilaç grupları kadınların %95,9’unda (n=259), erkeklerin %93,2’sinde (n=123) analjezikler şeklinde olmuştur. Antibiyotik kullanımı; kendi-kendine tedavi grubunda %9,5 ve tüm katılımcılar için %7,7 olarak bulunmuştur. Kendi-kendine tedavi nedeniyle %8,2 (n=33) öğrenci herhangi bir zamanda bir yan etki tecrübe etmiştir. Kendi-kendine tedavi grubundaki öğrenciler tezgâh üstü ilaç grubu (OTC) ile yan etki olsa da ciddi yan etkiler olmayacağını (%30,5) veya herhangi bir yan etki olmayacağını (%3,8) düşünmektedir.

Sonuç: Üniversite öğrencileri arasında kendi-kendine tedavi kadınlarda daha yüksek olmak üzere yaygın bir davranıştır. Öğrenciler, büyük ölçüde daha önceki kendi tecrübelerine güvenerek bu uygulamayı yapmaktadır. Ağırlıklı olarak daha önce benzer durumlar için hekimleri tarafından verilmiş ilaçları tercih etmektedirler.

Keywords

Kendi-kendine tedavi, Gençlik, Öz-bakım

Project Number

KA17/123

References

• World Health Organization. Guidelines for the regulatory assessment of medicinal products for use in self-medication. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2000.
• World Health Organization. The Role of the pharmacist in self-care and self-medication : report of the 4th WHO Consultative Group on the Role of the Pharmacist. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1998.
• Wertheimer AI, Serradell J. A discussion paper on self-care and its implications for pharmacists. Pharmacy World & Science. 2008;30(4):309-15.
• Bell J, Dziekan G, Pollack C, Mahachai V. Self-Care in the Twenty First Century: A Vital Role for the Pharmacist. Advances in Therapy. 2016;33(10):1691-703.
• Mansouri A, Sarayani A, Ashouri A, Sherafatmand M, Hadjibabaie M, Gholami K. Is ‘Self-Medication’ a Useful Term to Retrieve Related Publications in the Literature? A Systematic Exploration of Related Terms. PLOS ONE. 2015;10(5):e0125093.
• Gelayee DA. Self-Medication Pattern among Social Science University Students in Northwest Ethiopia. Journal of Pharmaceutics. 2017;2017:1-5.
• Zafar SN, Syed R, Waqar S, Zubairi AJ, Vaqar T, Shaikh M, et al. Self-medication amongst university students of Karachi: prevalence, knowledge and attitudes. J Pak Med Assoc. 2008;58(4):214-7.
• James H, Handu SS, Al Khaja KAJ, Otoom S, Sequeira RP. Evaluation of the Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Self-Medication among First-Year Medical Students. Medical Principles and Practice. 2006;15(4):270-5.
• Klemenc-Ketis Z, Hladnik Z, Kersnik J. Self-Medication among Healthcare and Non-Healthcare Students at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Medical Principles and Practice. 2010;19(5):395-401.
• Pereira FS, Bucaretchi F, Stephan C, Cordeiro R. Self-medication in children and adolescents. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2007;83(5):453-8.
• Aljinović-Vucić V, Trkulja V, Lacković Z. Content of home pharmacies and self-medication practices in households of pharmacy and medical students in Zagreb, Croatia: findings in 2001 with a reference to 1977. Croat Med J. 2005;46(1):74-80.
• Azami-Aghdash S, Mohseni M, Etemadi M, Royani S, Moosavi A, Nakhaee M. Prevalence and Cause of Self-Medication in Iran: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Article. Iran J Public Health. 2015;44(12):1580-93.
• Helal RM, Abou-Elwafa HS. Self-Medication in University Students from the City of Mansoura, Egypt. Journal of Environmental and Public Health. 2017;2017:1-7.
• Ibrahim NKR, Alamoudi BM, Baamer WO, Al-Raddadi RM. Self-medication with analgesics among medical students and interns in King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 2014;31(1).
• Sawalha AF. A descriptive study of self-medication practices among Palestinian medical and nonmedical university students. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. 2008;4(2):164-72.
• Daniel W, Cross C. Biostatistics: A Foundation for Analysis in the Health Sciences. 10th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc; 2013.
• Corrêa da Silva MG, Soares MC, Muccillo-Baisch AL. Self-medication in university students from the city of Rio Grande, Brazil. BMC Public Health. 2012;12:339.
• Badiger S, Kundapur R, Jain A, Kumar A, Pattanshetty S, Thakolkaran N, et al. Self-medication patterns among medical students in South India. Australas Med J. 2012;5(4):217-20.
• Karakurt P, Hacihasanoglu R, Yildirim A, Saglam R. Medication Use among University Students. . TAF Prev Med Bull 2010;9(5):505-12.
• Uskun E, Uskun S, M. O, AN. K. Drug use before applying to the health center. Journal of Continuing Medical Education. 2004;13(12):451-4.
• Figueiras A, Caamaño F, Gestal-Otero JJ. Sociodemographic factors related to self-medication in Spain. Eur J Epidemiol. 2000;16(1):19-26.
• Buke C, Hosgor-Limoncu M, Ermertcan S, Ciceklioglu M, Tuncel M, Köse T, et al. Irrational use of antibiotics among university students. J Infect. 2005;51(2):135-9.
• Okyay R, Erdogan A. Self-medication practices and rational drug use habits among university students: a cross-sectional study from Kahramanmaras, Turkey. PeerJ. 2017;5:e3990.
• Ilhan MN, Durukan E, Ilhan SÃZ, Aksakal FN, ÖZkan SI, Bumin MA. Self-medication with antibiotics: questionnaire survey among primary care center attendants. 2009;18(12):1150-7.
• Grigoryan L, Haaijer-Ruskamp FM, Burgerhof JGM, Mechtler R, Deschepper R, Tambic-Andrasevic A, et al. Self-medication with Antimicrobial Drugs in Europe. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2006;12(3):452-9.
• Vancelik S, Calikoglu O, Guraksin A, Beyhun E. Rational Drug Use Behaviors and Related Factors of Adults Living in City Centre of Erzurum Bulletin of Community Medicine. 2006;25(2):33-8.
• Sharma A, Oommen S, Topno I, Saya RP. Perceptions and practices of self-medication in healthcare and nonhealthcare university students in South India. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2015;26(6):633-40.
• Sarahroodi S, Maleki-Jamshid A, Sawalha A, Mikaili P, Safaeian L. Pattern of self-medication with analgesics among Iranian University students in central Iran. Journal of Family and Community Medicine. 2012;19(2):125-9.
• Skliros E, Merkouris P, Papazafiropoulou A, Gikas A, Matzouranis G, Papafragos C, et al. Self-medication with antibiotics in rural population in Greece: a cross-sectional multicenter study. BMC Family Practice. 2010;11(1):58.
• Togoobaatar G, Ikeda N, Ali M, Sonomjamts M, Dashdemberel S, Mori R, et al. Survey of non-prescribed use of antibiotics for children in an urban community in Mongolia. Bull World Health Organ. 2010;88(12):930-6.
• Millar A. Defining OTC Drugs. Pharma Technology FocusNet Resources International 2018;67(2).
• American College of Preventive Medicine. Over-the-Counter Medications: Use in General and Special Populations, Therapeutic Errors, Misuse, Storage and Disposal. Washington, DC: American College of Preventive Medicine,; 2011.
• Ministry of Health. 2015 and 2016 Market Status in Terms of Sales Volume and Value - Turkey Pharmaceutical Market Monitoring Report-4. Ankara: Ministry of Health; 2019.
• Pinar N. Investigation of Awareness of Rational Drug Use In The Students At Mustafa Kemal University Medical School. The Medical Journal of Mustafa Kemal University. 2017;8(29):34-40.
• Santas F, Demi̇rgi̇l B. A study on rational drug use. The Journal of Business Science. 2017;5(1):35-48.
• Hughes L, Whittlesea C, Luscombe D. Patients' knowledge and perceptions of the side-effects of OTC medication. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2002;27(4):243-8.