Extent and Correlates of Self-Medication Practice among Community-Dwelling Adults in Eastern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background. The use of medications without proper medical consultations poses significant health risks, drug resistance, and undiagnosed disease conditions, becoming a major pharmaceutical challenge in the 21st century. This study assessed the magnitude and associated factors of self-medication practice among adults in parts of Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 647 randomly selected adults residing in randomly selected households in eastern Ethiopia via a stratified sampling approach. A pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data on self-medication practice. Data were presented using tables, frequencies, percentages, and graphs. A multivariable binary logistic regression was done to identify factors associated with self-medication practice and presented as an adjusted odds ratio along with its 95% CI. Associations with a $p$ value below 5% were used to declare statistical significance. Results. A total of 647 adults with a mean age of 41.7 (11.4) years were included. Overall, 15.8% (95% CI: 12.5–18.2) of them reported to have practiced self-medication in the past month, while 67.9% (95% CI: 64.1–74.7) have practiced self-medication, mainly due to the mild nature of the symptom (11%), intention to get a rapid cure (12.2%), physical accessibility (9.1%), and less confidence in the quality of health facility services (3.7%). The majority of the drugs were in the form of oral tablets in the antibiotic, antipain, and gastrointestinal categories. Female ( $\text{AOR}=1.66$ and 95% CI: 0.76–3.61), larger family size ( $\text{AOR}=1.34$ and 95% CI: 0.73–2.46), illiteracy ( $\text{AOR}=4.47$ and 95% CI: 1.17–17.1), poor socioeconomic class ( $\text{AOR}=4.6795$ and CI: 1.71–12.7), perceived health facility visit stay as long ( $\text{AOR}=1.55$ and 95% CI: 0.80–3.00), khat use ( $\text{AOR}=2.86$ and 95% CI: 1.27–6.47), cigarette smoking ( $\text{AOR}=2.86$ 95% CI: 1.27–6.47), and poor knowledge on proper medication use ( $\text{AOR}=7.98$ and 95% CI: 4.61–13.8) were associated with increased odds of self-medication. Conclusion. The practice of self-medication is a health concern and is associated with lower socioeconomic class, illiteracy, substance abuse, a perceived long stay at a health facility, and poor knowledge of medication use. Behavioral interventions targeting this segment of the population via various approaches would help.