Prevalence of self-medication among the rural population in field practice area of a tertiary care Centre in South Kerala: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and Objectives:

Self-medication is a global phenomenon and potential contributor to antimicrobial resistance. The adverse consequences of such practices should always be emphasized to the community and steps to curb it. The objective of this study is to find the prevalence of self-medication practices among the population residing in a rural field practice area of a tertiary care center in South Kerala and to find its association, if any, with socio-demographic factors of the above population

Methods:

The cross-sectional study was done among rural population of tertiary care Centre in ward 15 of Kalanjoor Panchayath. The study was conducted among adults aged 18 years or above. The sample size was calculated as 136. A systematic random sampling method was used. The study period was 3 months. A total of 183 people participated in the study A semi-structured questionnaire which consists of 2 parts was administered by interview method and data was collected. Statistical Analysis included Descriptive statistics and chi-square test of significance done using IBM-SPSS software.

Results:

It was seen that out of the total 183 study sample, 119 people had history of self-medication out of which 56% people were aware of the problems caused by self-medications and 44% people were not aware. Majority of the participants take self-medication for common illnesses such as fever (55%), Headache (18%), Cough and Cold (7%). In our study we got a statistically significant association of history of self-medication with age and people aware of problems caused by this practice.

CONCLUSION:

Self-medication is found to be common among the participants of this study. Through this study, we were able to find various components of self-medication and their relevance to the study population. Many of them use medicines which were prescribed to them by doctors for past illnesses whereas some of them buy directly from the pharmacists. In some cases, they get information from family members who use the same medication. These people opted for self-medication due to the mild nature of the illness and lack of time. Self-medication, even though it helps solve various ailments, can cause problems such as resistance, misuse, etc. in the long run.