SELF MEDICATION

This study assesses the knowledge of the dangers of self-medications in the halls of residents among students in the University of Benin. Four research questions were asked and answered during the study using frequencies and percentages. The survey research design was adopted for this study; this is because the data is collected from a sample population with specific characteristics. The target population will be 12,240. This study comprised full-time undergraduate students residing in the University hostels during the 2024/2025 academic session. Out of this population one hundred and fifty (150) sample was selected from the total population using randomly sampling technique and purposive sampling. The instrument used to collect data for the study was fifteen items self-structured questionnaire. The instrument for the data collection was personally administered by the researcher to the respondents. The researcher explained to the respondents how to indicate their views on each item. On the basis of the findings made in the study, it can be concluded that while students exhibit a moderate level of knowledge about the dangers of self-medication, this knowledge is not sufficiently deep or widespread to effectively curb the practice. The researcher recommends that university authorities should intensify health education programmes, including seminars and orientation talks, to deepen students’ understanding of the risks associated with self-medication. Also, the researcher recommends that efforts should be made to provide accessible and affordable healthcare services within the halls of residence, thereby reducing the economic motivation to self-medicate. Finally, university management should enforce existing policies or develop new ones that discourage self-medication, accompanied by visible sanctions and continuous awareness campaigns.

Self-medication is a widespread public health concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where barriers to healthcare access persist. This study examined the prevalence, knowledge, patterns, and influencing factors of self-medication among artisans in Ovia North- East Local Government Area, Edo State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional design wasNemployed, and data were collected from 212 artisans using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and inferential statistics (Pearson’s correlation) at a 0.05 level of significance. The socio-demographic profile revealed that the respondents were predominantly young adults (34.0% aged 28–37 years), male (67.9%), and moderately educated, with secondary education constituting the highest proportion (41.5%). Findings on prevalence showed that 77.4% of respondents engaged in self-medication, with headaches (65.1%), malaria (57.5%), and body pain (53.8%) being the most common conditions treated. In terms of knowledge, while most respondents correctly defined self-medication (80.2%) and acknowledged its risks (90.1%), only 45.3% demonstrated awareness of drug side effects, resulting in a moderate mean knowledge score of 3.15 (SD = 1.12). The overall classification showed that 60.4% of respondents had good knowledge, while 39.6% had poor knowledge. Regarding patterns of practice, pain relievers (61.3%), antimalarials (51.9%), and antibiotics (46.2%) were the most commonly used drugs, with 66.0% of respondents adhering to full dosage. However, unsafe practices such as incomplete dosage and reliance on herbal drugs (35.4%) or informal drug sources (15.1%) were also reported. The mean pattern score was 3.73 (SD = 0.47), indicating a moderate balance between safe and unsafe practices. Factors influencing self- medication included easy access to drugs (72.6%), high cost of healthcare (67.9%), long waiting times at hospitals (60.4%), peer/family influence (40.6%), and prior experience with illness (56.6%). Hypothesis testing revealed significant relationships between knowledge and practice (r = 0.41, p = 0.001), socio-demographic factors and self-medication patterns (r = 0.312, p = 0.002), and accessibility to healthcare and frequency of practice (r = 0.46, p = 0.001). These results confirm that self-medication is influenced by a combination of knowledge, socio-economic factors, and systemic barriers. The study concludes that self-medication is highly prevalent among artisans and poses considerable health risks despite moderate knowledge levels. It highlights the need for targeted health education, regulation of drug accessibility, and improvement of healthcare affordability and efficiency to mitigate unsafe practices. The findings also have implications for nursing practice, particularly in community health education, preventive care, and patient advocacy