Abstract
Objective
To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with self-medication among undergraduate students in the countryside of Amazonas.
Methods
Cross-sectional study with a total of 694 students from a public university in the countryside of Amazonas, between March and July 2018. Self-medication was defined as the use of at least one medication without a prescription. Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI) were estimated by Logistic Regression.
Results
Of the 694 undergraduate students, 483 indicated drug use. Of these, 80.1% reported self-medication. Analgesics were the most used (51.8%) and the reasons that most led to self-medicating were pain problems (54.3%). The variables “having children” (OR: 1.83; 95% CI: 1.06-3.16) and “having the practice of recommending medication to other people” (OR: 2.38; 95% CI: 1.47 -3.86) remained independently associated with self-medication.
Conclusion
There was a high prevalence of self-medication among students, highlighting the need for discussion about the rational use of medication in the university environment.
Drug utilization; Self-medication; Students; Risk-taking; Pharmacoepidemiology
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