Prevalence and Factors Associated with Self Medication Among People Living in Urban Slums of Sokoto Metropolis, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

Self-medication is the selection and use of medicines by individuals to treat self-recognized illness or symptoms and has been on the increase as a result of poverty, ignorance, low educational status among others. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among people living in urban slums of Sokoto metropolis. This cross sectional descriptive study was carried out among adult urban slum dwellers in Sokoto metropolis using multistage sampling technique. Semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from respondents. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS computer software. The association between categorical variables was tested using bivariate analysis and predictors of self-medication determined using logistic regression. A total 301(91.2%) of the respondents had ever practiced self-medication while 239(77.1%) did so in the last three months. Fever and headache were the commonest conditions for practice of self-medication and paracetamol, ibuprofen and Coartem® (Artemether and lumefantrine) were the commonly used drugs. Being a male (p<0.007) and not being educated beyond primary education (p<0.033) were the predictors of self-medication practice. Self-medication among urban slum dwellers was high despite their knowledge of its associated harmful effects. This underscores the need for concerted efforts to nip this public health menace in the bud through public enlightenment to help prevent indiscriminate hawking and sale of drugs without prescription.