Prevalence and Predictors of Self-Medication Practice Among Teachers’ Education Training College Students in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Self-medication practice is the use of medications without healthcare professional requests. It can lead to inappropriate medication usage, wastage of resources, increased chance of microbial resistance, and adverse drug reactions. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing the prevalence and associated factors of selfmedication practice among teachers’ education training college students in the Amhara region, Ethiopia. Methods: A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted on 344 teachers’ education training college students in the Amhara region, Ethiopia, from January 1 to February 28, 2020. Data on sociodemography, the practice of self-medication, and factors associated with self-medication practice were collected through a self-administered structured questionnaire. Systematic random sampling was used to select participants. Descriptive statistics and univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to determine various variables and factors associated with self-medication practice. Results: Out of the 344 respondents, 234 (68.0%) practiced self-medication. The most commonly cited indication for self-medication practice was headache (75, 32.05%), followed by abdominal discomfort (53, 22.6%). The respondents who were older than 26 years of age (AOR: 2.47, 95% CI: 1.18–3.94), were in the third year of study (AOR: 3.14, 95% CI: 1.94–5.79), lived in urban residence (AOR: 2.97, 95% CI: 1.06–3.64), had accessibility to a nearby pharmacy (AOR: 2.12, 95% CI: 1.43–4.46), and had peer/ family pressure (AOR: 2.34, 95% Cl: 1.53–3.56) were significantly associated with selfmedication practice. Edited by: Tanveer Ahmed Khan, National Institute of Health, Pakistan Reviewed by: Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim, Qatar University, Qatar Gerhard Fortwengel, Hannover University of Applied Sciences, Germany *Correspondence: Abebe Basazn Mekuria abeyohannes21@gmail.com Specialty section: This article was submitted to Pharmaceutical Medicine and Outcomes Research, a section of the journal Frontiers in Pharmacology Received: 11 August 2020 Accepted: 23 December 2020 Published: 02 February 2021 Citation: Mekuria AB, Birru EM, Tesfa MT, Geta M, Kifle ZD and Amare T (2021) Prevalence and Predictors of SelfMedication Practice Among Teachers’ Education Training College Students in