Access to Health Service and Social Support Related to Self-Medication

  • Sudhir Mishra MPH Program International, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • Nawarat Suwannapong Department of Public Health Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • Mathuros Tipayamongkholgul Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
  • Natnaree Aimyong Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
DOI: https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v18i3.2649

Abstract

Background: In developing countries including Nepal, medicine is easy to purchase with or without prescription over the counter. People’s self-medication practice is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to assess self-medication practice and its influencing factors among rural people of Nepal.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from total 62 wards in rural Rolpa district of Nepal.The probability proportional to size was applied to select 6 wards, then 115 households from each ward was selected by applying systematic random sampling.  Data collection was done by interviewing 720 household heads age 18 to 70 years old using a structured questionnaire in Nepal

Results: The proportion of regular self-medication practice was 54.6%. Among them, 96.4% practiced self-medication when they got diarrhea/dysentery and 94.2% when they got a stomach ache. The factors associated with self-medication practice included gender (OR=2.24,95%CI=0.23-0.42), age (OR=5.59,95%CI=3.68-8.47), religion(OR=0.57,95%CI=0.42-0.77), family type (OR=4.00,95%CI=2.93-5.47), average income (OR=7.31,95%CI=5.04-10.56), decision making (OR=0.6,95%CI=0.44-0.82, health insurance(OR=1.64,95%CI=1.22-2.22), overall access to health service (OR=3.53,95%CI=2.55-4.90), and appraisal support(OR=2.24, 95%CI=1.66-3.02)

Conclusions: Prevalence of self-medication in rural areas of Rolpa district was high among female, older people Accessibility to health service should be improved to reduce risk of self-medication practice. The health promotion related with benefit and side effect from self-medication are important for high risk group i.e. people over 30 years .

Keywords: Access to health service; rural Nepal; self-medication; social support

Author Biographies

Nawarat Suwannapong, Department of Public Health Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Department of Public Health Administration, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Natnaree Aimyong, Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

Published
2020-11-14
How to Cite
Mishra, S., Suwannapong, N., Tipayamongkholgul, M., & Aimyong, N. (2020). Access to Health Service and Social Support Related to Self-Medication . Journal of Nepal Health Research Council, 18(3), 500-505. https://doi.org/10.33314/jnhrc.v18i3.2649
Issue
Vol. 18 No. 3 (2020): Vol. 18 No. 3 Issue 48 Jul-Sep 2020
Section
Original Article

Copyright (c) 2020 Sudhir Mishra, Nawarat Suwannapong, Mathuros Tipayamongkholgul, Natnaree Aimyong

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