Table 3.
Self-Medication Pattern Of Participants
| Factor | Total Response (528), N (%) | Medical Students’ Response (274), N (%) | Non-medical Students’ Response (254), N (%) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Which of the following drugs have you taken without prescription for the last 6 months?‡ | ||||
| Pain killers | 430(81.4) | 251(91.6) | 179(70.5) | 0.000* |
| Antibiotics | 149(28.2) | 59(21.5) | 90(35.4) | 0.000* |
| Drugs for fever (antipyretics) | 110(20.8) | 45(16.4) | 65(25.6) | 0.010* |
| Antihistamines(anti-allergy) | 72(13.6) | 47(17.2) | 25(9.8) | 0.014* |
| Cough syrups | 136(25.8) | 71(25.9) | 65(25.6) | 0.933 |
| Cold and flu preparations | 155(29.4) | 84(30.7) | 71(28) | 0.495 |
| Anti-ulcer/acidity drugs | 62(11.7) | 28(10.2) | 34(13.4) | 0.259 |
| Drugs for constipation | 42(8) | 18(6.6) | 24(9.4) | 0.222 |
| Drugs for diarrhea | 26(4.9) | 13(4.8) | 11(4.3) | 0.820 |
| Oral contraceptives | 13 (2.5) | 6(2.2) | 7(2.8) | 0.675 |
| Anti-emetics | 17(3.2) | 9(3.3) | 8(3.1) | 0.930 |
| Appetizers | 13(2.5) | 2(0.7) | 11(4.3) | 0.008* |
| Nasal/Ear/Eye drops | 141(26.7) | 75(27.4) | 66(26) | 0.719 |
| Topical agents(skin treatment agents) | 68(12.9) | 44(16.1) | 24(9.5) | 0.27 |
| Nutritional/energy supplements/vitamins | 97(18.4) | 51(18.6) | 46(18.1) | 0.911 |
| Herbs | 73(13.8) | 40(14.6) | 33(13) | 0.616 |
| For which of the following indications have you taken medications without prescription for the last 6 months? ‡ | ||||
| I do not take self medication | 6(1.3) | 2(0.7) | 4(1.6) | 0.360 |
| Head ache | 401(75.9) | 202(73.7) | 199(78.3) | 0.214 |
| Cough & common cold | 277(52.5) | 136(49.6) | 141(55.5) | 0.177 |
| Fever | 193(35.6) | 102(37.2) | 91(35.8) | 0.739 |
| Infection | 28(5.3) | 16(5.8) | 12(4.7) | 0.568 |
| Heart burn/Ulcer | 42(8) | 14(5.1) | 28(11) | 0.012* |
| Allergy | 58(11) | 30(10.9) | 28(11) | 0.978 |
| Disorder of digestive system (diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, etc) | 73(13.8) | 27(9.9) | 46(18.4) | 0.006* |
| Body pain | 130(24.6) | 69(25.2) | 61(24) | 0.756 |
| Tooth pain | 116(22) | 62(22.6) | 54(21.3) | 0.704 |
| Acne/skin diseases | 54(10.2) | 29(10.6) | 25(9.8) | 0.779 |
| Menstrual problems | 38(7.2) | 25(9.1) | 13(5.1) | 0.075 |
| Contraception | 9(1.7) | 4(1.5) | 5(1.9) | 0.652 |
| Insomnia | 45(8.5) | 21(7.7) | 24(9.4) | 0.463 |
| Hemorrhoids | 12(2.3) | 4(1.5) | 8(3.1) | 0.300 |
Notes: ‡Number and percentage of positive responses,*p value <0.05, statistically significant, †χ2 test