Abstract

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has placed focus on evaluating and controlling self-medication because it is one of the biggest health challenges facing people all over the world. Self-medication practices, which have drastically expanded in the last few decades, especially in developing nations, are a major source of public and professional concern. The study was conducted with the objectives of finding the prevalence and pattern of self-medication patterns in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, the current study was created. Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from January to March 2022 in an urban area of Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. The data collection was done by trained people through personal interviews using pretested and pre-validated questionnaires. The eldest member of the family, present at the time of our visit, was interviewed. The number of study participants was 360, and the data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Results: The prevalence of self-medication was 82.2%, and allopathic medicines were preferred by 78% of study participants. People belonging to younger age practiced self-medication more than the older age group persons, and the difference was statistically significant (P = 0.001). Also, higher educational qualifications were associated with self-medication practice (P = 0.002). Self-medication was used commonly for allergy (56.7%) and fever (47.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of self-medication in this study was high. Younger age and higher educational qualifications were associated with self-medication practice.

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