ISSN : 2663-2187

Evaluate the Prevalence, Knowledge, and Attitude of Self-Medication with Analgesics among College Students in NUST, Oman

Main Article Content

Anil Kumar, Mays Basim Abdullah, Maisa Ali Al Siyabi, Dhaval Mahadevhwala
» doi: 10.33472/AFJBS.6.6.2024.8425-8434

Abstract

Background: In the modern world, self-medication is not uncommon, either among the public or among a somewhat smaller subset of medical students. Medical students may have different experiences from the public due to their exposure to information regarding medications and illnesses. The goal of the current study was to ascertain National University students' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication. Methods: During the years 2021–2022, a descriptive study with an anonymous questionnaire design was carried out among National University of Oman students. To find students, a multistage random sampling technique was employed. Through online "Google forms," a pre-validated questionnaire with closed-ended questions was distributed to the among National University of Oman students. The questionnaire covered sociodemographic information, common indications and side effects of analgesics, as well as the frequency with which students used them. Every day, the data was inspected, evaluated, and arranged to ensure its consistency and completeness. The statistical program for social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0 was used to code, enter, and analyze the data before using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, and mean) to interpret the results. Results: Maximum number of participants were from age group 18-20 (47%) followed by 21-23 (32.47%). Majority of students (81.19%) are taking analgesics without prescriptions. Consumption of analgesics amongst female students is much higher and maximum number of students consuming analgesics without prescription belongs to age group 18-23. The consumption of analgesics without prescription were found maximum in students who are staying alone (83.33%) and least with who are staying with family (79.2%). The most common cause of taking analgesics is headache (44%) followed by period pain (30.8%, this is due to a greater number of female participants), joint and muscle pain (10%), tooth pain (8.6%) and back pain (6.2%). Conclusion: The current study offers an insight about analgesic self-medication behaviors in students of a National University. This information can be used for drug awareness programs to make students aware of potentially harmful side effects and to curtail their irresponsible analgesic self-medication behavior.

Article Details