Study of self medication practices and its determinant among college students of Delhi University North Campus, New Delhi, India
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Science and Public Health - Year 2014, Vol 3, Issue 4
Abstract
Background: Self - medication includes acquiring medicines without a prescription, resubmitting old prescriptions to purchase medicines, sharing medicines with relatives or members of one's social circle or using leftover medicines stored at home. In developing countries like India, self - medication is a common practice as it provides a low cost alternative for people. Especially, the youth is exposed to media and the increased advertising of pharmaceuticals poses a larger threat to the younger population. Aims & Objective: To determine the prevalence of self - medication among Delhi University students and to identify the sources and reasons for self - medication. Materials and Methods: A cross s ectional study was carried out using a ‘semi structured’ ‘pretested’ questionnaire among 350 students selected randomly from north campus of Delhi University during August and September 2012. Results: The prevalence of self - medication was 85.4% among the study population. Principal morbidities for seeking self - medication were headache (86.2%) and common cold (57.8%). 79.3% of them got the medicine from chemist shop and 16.9% used home availabl e medicines. 56.1% of the study subjects were aware about side effects of drugs they were using. Awareness about schedule H - drugs was also present in 39.5% of the study population. Regarding the major reasons for seeking self - medication, 31.0% did not find it necessary to consult a doctor followed by 25.0% who preferr ed to wait and watch, 21.3% had lack of time and 10.4% felt doctor’s fee was too high. Conclusion: Prevalence of self - medication was high in the study population despite majority being aware of its harmful effects. There is an urgent need to enforce the l aw to prevent over the counter drug sale and to educate the youth to ensure safe practices
Authors and Affiliations
Mrinmoy Adhikary, Poornima Tiwari, Saudan Singh, Chetan Karoo
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP117140
- DOI DOI: 10.5455/ijm sph. 2014. 2 6 012014 6
- Views 113
- Downloads 1
Study of effect of curcumin on heat stress-induced behavioral changes in rats
Background: Moderate heat stress (HS) has been proven to cause significant behavioral changes in rats. Curcumin (CM) has been reported in various studies to reverse behavioral changes caused by various toxic agents such...
A prospective study of highly active antiretroviral therapy in a tertiary-care hospital in south India
Background: Acquired immunode fi ciency syndrome (AIDS) caused by human immunode fi ciency virus (HIV) is an important health concern worldwide, and AIDS-related morbidity and mortality have seen a sharp decline du...
Impact of educational intervention regarding anaemia and its preventive measures among adolescent girls of Government Commerce College of Gandhinagar city, Gujarat, India
Background: Adolescent girls are at a high risk for anaemia and malnutrition. Objective: To assess knowledge of adolescent girls regarding anaemia and its preventive measures before and after educational interventional t...
Morbidity pattern of geriatric population in rural areas of western Uttar Pradesh
Background: Aging is a complex, multifactorial, and inevitable process that begins before birth and continues throughout the life. It is an inevitable truth that older people in Indian society has been well perceived...
Education status, school dropouts and its reasons, determinants and perspectives among young girls of a city of Western India
Background: Education status is the major social factor among the young girls that affects health and social status of these girls. Objectives: This study was conducted to find out the magnitude of the problem of school...