PREVALENCE AND CORRELATES OF SELF-MEDICATION WITH ANTIBIOTICS AMONG PHARMACY UNDERGRADUATES IN A NIGERIAN UNIVERSITY

*Sani Ibn Yakubu, Nasiru Yakubu Ikunaiye, Rosaline I. Aderemi-Williams, Abubakar Babakura Tijjani and Abdul-Basit Haliru Yakubu

ABSTRACT

Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) is a well-recognized form of drug misuse which needs concerted action. Awareness of this problem among pharmacy undergraduates is extremely vital. Objective: This study was to assess the prevalence of SMA and factors influencing the practice among pharmacy undergraduates of the University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional, pre-tested questionnaire-based survey using stratified, random sampling technique to collect the relevant information pertaining to the study variables. Results: A total of 185 students parcitipated (response rate of 100%). Out of these, 79 students (42.7%) were females, 106 (57.3%) males and their mean age was 23 years. Non-married students were in majority. Among them, 92.% had SMA, more than one SMA episode (60.1%) and had recommended antibiotics (69.9%) in the last one year. The most common conditions that prompted SMA were catarrh/cough (20.5%) and diarrhoea (19.6%), while the most self-medicated antibiotics among the students was metronidazole (17.3%), followed by amoxicillin and ciprofloxacin (15.0%). Most students (41.5%) had incomplete course of treatment and the outstanding reason cited for SMA was past successful treatment (81.9%). Conclusion: The prevalence of SMA was found to be high, but there was no significant variation (p > 0.05) in SMA based on gender, age, marital status, perception on antibiotic resistance, prior knowledge of antibiotics and level of knowledge on antibiotics. Furthermore, our findings revealed a significant assocition between high students' university level and the prevalence of SMA.

Keywords: self-medication, antibiotics, pharmacy, students, prevalence.