TITLE:
Prevalence, Knowledge and Associated Determinants of Auto-Medication in the Limbe Municipality
AUTHORS:
Tanyi Pride Bobga, Amambua Christian Tayiwoh, Tambobe Bernard Tabah, Ngwa Fabrice Ambe, Agu Felix Eyong, Dinayen Dieudonne Yusinyu, Ebai Clinton Tiku, Ndaka Walters Thabe, Derick Ngwa Awambeng
KEYWORDS:
Auto-Medication, Prevalence, Knowledge, Determinants, Limbe Municipality
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.10 No.10,
October
14,
2022
ABSTRACT: Introduction: The practice of auto-medication is on the rise in most sub-Saharan countries. The effects of these may be associated with increased drug resistance in the future, complication of the course of a disease, adverse drug interactions etc. Auto-medication is of course a global public health concern, which requires appropriate attention to evade future undesirable effects. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, prevalence and associated determinants of auto-medication in the Limbe municipality. Method: This was a community-based cross-sectional study, conducted among 284 enrolled participants in Limbe Health District between January to August 2021. A structured questionnaire-based interview was used to collect data from each study subject. Then, data were categorised and analysed using SPSS version 20 software. Results: Majority of 213 (75%) of the participants practised auto-medication. The most frequently reported auto-medication symptoms were fever and headache 202 (71.1%). 95 (15.6%) practised auto-medication because they believed it saved time, meanwhile 5 (0.8%) had the belief that health personnel are too busy in the hospital with lots of patients to serve. Concerning knowledge, 68.9%, 13.1% and 18.2% had grading as Good, Poor and uncertain respectively. 58.3% of participants had a positive attitude towards auto-medication while 12.7% were indifferent. Factors associated with the use of auto-medication included: Age (p Conclusion: The prevalence of auto-medication remains increasingly high; there is a need for community sensitization to avert the negatives of such practices. The knowledge on auto-medication is fairly above average.