scholarly journals Self-medication practices among university students from Karachi, Pakistan

Author(s):  
Dnyanesh Limaye ◽  
Farah Saeed ◽  
Mansoor Ahmad ◽  
Ravi Shankar Pitani ◽  
Gerhard Fortwengel

Background: Self-medication, practiced globally is an important public health problem. Research studies have indicated inappropriate self‐medication results in adverse drug reactions, disease masking, antibiotic resistance and wastage of healthcare resources. The objectives of the study were to explore overall self-medication and antibiotic self-medication prevalence among students of university students in Karachi, Pakistan along with probable reasons, indications, and sources of advice for self-medication.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was carried out among students from university of Karachi, Pakistan during the time period of September to November 2016. Pretested questionnaire was distributed to 320 students, collected data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 24.Results: From 320 students, 311 (83 male and 228 female) students participated in the study giving a response rate of 97%. Prevalence of self-medication was 66%. Belonging to higher monthly family income group was associated with likelihood of self-medication. Antibiotic self-medication prevalence was 39%. Lack of time (39%), and old prescription (35%) were the main reasons for self-medication. Pharmacy shop (75%) was the main source for self-medication. In case of antibiotics, 44% students changed the dosage of antibiotic and 50% students stopped antibiotics after the disappearance of the symptoms.Conclusions: Antibiotic self-medication (39%) and self-medication with other drugs among university students of Karachi is a worrisome problem. Our findings highlight the need for planning interventions to promote the judicious use of general medicines as well as that of antibiotics. 

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samman Chughtai

Self-medication is a common incidence in the world today. This study aims to evaluate self-medication among university students of Multan, Pakistan. This randomized cross sectional study was carried out in Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan during December 2015- January 216. A sample size of 200 students was randomly selected. Response rate was 90% (n=182).The prevalence of self-medication among the students was determined to be 83%. There was difference in perception of pharmacy students and students of other professions. Most common condition in which students did self-medication was headache (49.66%; n=75). Students also showed tendency of self-medication in case of herbal and essential oil products (46.35%). Awareness concerning insecurity and benefits of self-medication must be spread among students to avoid the complications of self-medication. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-58
Author(s):  
AKM Farhad Hossain ◽  
Md Mahmudur Rahman Siddiqui ◽  
Sayada Fatema Khatun

Background: Thyroid cancer is the most common malignant disease in endocrine system. It is an emerging public health issue associated with burden on the family, community and the nation. The aim of this study is to determine the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patient with thyroid cancer attending in tertiary hospital. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 246 thyroid cancer patients in two tertiary hospitals of Dhaka city from 01 July 2018 to 30 June 2019. The subjects were selected purposively following specific selection criteria and maintaining ethical issues. Data were collected by face to face interview using a semi-structured questionnaire and checklist. Data were analyzed by the statistical package for the social science (SPSS) version 23. Results: This study revealed that majority (74.4%) of respondents was female, married (72%), housewife (61.4%), rural respondent (41.1%) and had primary education (69%). Mean (± SD) age of the respondent was 37.85(±12.20) years (Range 14-70 years) and mean (± SD) monthly family income was Tk. 17681(±10602). Out of 246 cases, 204 (82.9%) was papillary and 42 (17.1%) was follicular carcinoma. Various clinical presentations included visible neck swelling in 225 (91.5%), swollen lymph node in 103 (41.9%), pain 90 (36.6%), Difficulties in swallowing 87 (35.4%), Hoarseness of voice in 141 (57.3%), cough along with swelling 47(19.1%), Difficulties in breathing due to swelling in 13(5.3%) of the patients. Conclusion: Incidence of thyroid cancer has increased worldwide specially in female patients in 3rd and 4th decades of life. As thyroid cancer is a growing public health problem in Bangladesh, proper screening and early diagnostic facilities at all level should be available to measure its actual burden in the country. Anwer Khan Modern Medical College Journal Vol. 11, No. 1: Jan 2020, P 54-58


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Doreen Macherera Mukona ◽  
Maxwell Mhlanga ◽  
Mathilda Zvinavashe

Background/aims Vaginal candidiasis is commonly experienced by women with diabetes, but its prevalence is not well documented in Zimbabwe. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of vaginal candidiasis and factors associated with diabetic treatment adherence in pregnant women with diabetes. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted on a consecutive sample of 157 participants from a central hospital in Harare, Zimbabwe. A structured questionnaire and physical examination of the perineum were used to collect data. All procedures were conducted in privacy. Diagnosis of vaginal candidiasis was made clinically. Data were analysed using the Chi-squared test, with P<0.05 being significant. Results The prevalence of vaginal candidiasis was 19.7%. There was a significant association between monthly family income (P=0.041), parity (P=0.029) and number of living children (P=0.049) and the presence of vaginal candidiasis. Women with poor adherence to diabetic therapy were 3.95 times more likely to have vaginal candidiasis (P=0.002). Conclusions Individualised health education on glycaemic control and good perineal hygiene remains key in the prevention of vaginal candidiasis among diabetic pregnant women.


2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inês Dourado ◽  
Craig A. Milroy ◽  
Marco Antônio Gomes Mello ◽  
Geraldo Argolo Ferraro ◽  
Humberto Castro-Lima Filho ◽  
...  

To estimate HIV-1 seroprevalence in the general population of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 3,437 residents from 1998 to 2000. Subjects were drawn from 30 sentinel areas representing a wide range of living conditions. Plasma samples were screened for HIV-1 antibodies by ELISA and confirmed by immunofluorescent assay. Subtype determination by HMA was performed after proviral DNA amplification. Phylogenetic analysis using parsimony was performed with the neighbor-joining method. Overall HIV-1 seroprevalence was 0.55% (19/3,446): 0.8% for men and 0.36% for women. Seroprevalence was higher in the 31-45-year age group (1%) and among persons with family income less than twice the minimum wage (0.78%) as compared to 0.33% for the higher income group. Syphilis was detected in 37% of HIV seropositive individuals. Phylogenetic inferences identified 10 samples as subtype B in the env region and 2 samples with Benv/Fgag/Fpol and Fenv/Bgag. Age > 30 years, male gender, and income < 2 times the minimum wage were identified as risk factors for HIV-1 infection. Extrapolating the proportion of seropositive individuals to Salvador, the number of HIV-1 infected individuals was estimated at 13,750.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 111
Author(s):  
Hepti Muliyati ◽  
Menis Mbali ◽  
Hadidja Bando ◽  
Riana Pangestu Utami ◽  
Opyn Mananta

Wasting on children is an important public health problem because of its considerable impact on their health and growth. This problem could lead to iron deficiency which could induce infection disease and probably lower a child’s intelligence as a long-term effect. This study aimed to analyze factors related to wasting on 12-59 months children in Bulili Public Health Center (PHC), Palu City. The analytical descriptive study designed with a cross-sectional approach was applied in this study. One hundred and twenty-one subject was selected from 283 children with purposive sampling technique. Data were analyzed with chi-square and Fisher exact test with significant (p < 0,05). The result showed that most children with low birth weight experienced wasting with a p-value = 0,000. Most of the children from higher-income families did not experience wasting with a p-value = 0,004. Most children who didn’t receive breastfeeding milk did not experience wasting with a p-value = 0,958. This study concluded a correlation between low birth weight and income to wasting, but breastfeeding practice was not related.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Absar Ahmad ◽  
Surbhi G Garg ◽  
Suman Gupta ◽  
Ruqayya Alvi

Background: Girls in many low and middle-income countries enter puberty with knowledge gaps and misconceptions about menstruation may lead to unsafe hygienic practices that increase health risk. Despite such importance, educated girls' knowledge and hygienic practice towards menstruation are not well addressed in India. Consequently, the present study attempted to assess menstrual hygiene knowledge and practice among college students in Lucknow city in north India. Method: An online college-based cross-sectional study design was employed in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh in India. Data collection was carried out from September 11 to September 25, 2020, using a google form among undergraduate and Postgraduate students. All variables that were significant at bivariate level (at P-value < 0.05) were entered into multivariate analysis using a logistic regression model to control for confounding factors. In the final model, P-value of less than 0.05 was used as a base to identify factors having a statistically significant association with poor knowledge and hygiene practice at corresponding 95% confidence interval. Results: More than half of students' ages of menarche were between 12-15 years, and duration of menses flow was between 3-5 days. The most common premenstrual symptom was abdominal pain (67%) and back pain (50.5%). Majority of the students had first time discussed menstrual problems with their mothers (69.2%). Around 94% of students were currently using a sanitary pad as an absorbent. Regarding cleanliness, about (90.9%) girls clean their genitals after urinating during mensuration. Around 18.9% used medication during menstruation. Multivariate analyses reveal that students of Science and Technology (vs Commerce and Management Students) and monthly family income 50-100 thousand (vs < 25 thousands) were associated with good knowledge about menstruation. In contrast, students' fathers were graduates (vs school educated); the occupation was 'Other'(vs Farmer) ; living in a nuclear family(vs Joint family) and residing in urban areas(vs Rural) were less likely to have good menstruation knowledge. Besides, good hygiene practices are less likely to have with 'Other' Religion(vs Hindu), working mother(vs Housewife), monthly family income between 25 to 50 thousand(vs <25 thousands), and Nuclear family(vs Joint family) (p<0.05). Conclusions Most college students had poor knowledge but followed hygienic practices correctly. It demonstrates a need to design acceptable awareness creation and advocacy programs to improve college students' knowledge during menstruation. Of all the sociodemographic factors, monthly income and types of family influenced students' knowledge and practices related to menstruation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gowranga Kumar Paul ◽  
Meshbahur Rahman ◽  
Shayla Naznin ◽  
Mashfiqul Haq Chowdhury ◽  
Md Jamal Uddin

Abstract Background: The current COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest public health concern. It harmed everyone, both physically and mentally. Because of panic situations in COVID-19 pandemic, students all over the world, including those in Bangladesh, are suffering from depression and anxiety. Considering this, we aimed to assess psycho-emotional changes of the university students through investigating their level of depression and anxiety effects during panic and post-panic period of COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.Methods: Cross-sectional online surveys were conducted among university students in Bangladesh from April to July 2020 (panic period, n=170) and then from August to November 2020 (post-panic period, n=170). The PHQ-9 and GAD-7 questionnaires were used to assess respondents' depression and anxiety levels, respectively. We used continuous scores to assess the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. We also computed binary depression and anxiety scores. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. Results: The proportion of depression symptoms was 49.4% during the panic period and 52.4% after the panic period. Anxiety symptoms were experienced by 38.2% of students during the panic period, and this percentage was nearly identical in the post-panic interval. Depression levels increased in the post-panic period and urban students have significantly (P< 0.05) higher levels of depression and anxiety than their counterparts. Female students also exhibited significantly more anxious symptoms (p=0.002) than male. Depression symptoms significantly vary by family types, students place of residence whereas students age, gender, education, family head's occupation, time period and family economic condition found no significant association with the depression.Conclusions: Students during the post-panic period have a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety symptoms than during the panic period. Although the difference was small, it was still concerning for university students in Bangladesh because it interfered with their academic life.


2021 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2020-139618
Author(s):  
Nouf A AlShamlan ◽  
Reem S AlOmar ◽  
Abdullah Zuhair Al-Sahow ◽  
Abeer A AlShamlan ◽  
Bayan Mohammed Almir ◽  
...  

Purpose of the studyTo assess the attitudes and acceptance of cosmetic surgeries and procedures among undergraduate university students in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, as well as the barriers against having cosmetic surgeries and procedures.Study designA cross-sectional study of undergraduate university students in the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia, during October 2020. The research instrument included the Attitudes towards Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS), sociodemographic data and perceived barriers towards cosmetic surgeries and procedures. A bivariate analysis was performed followed by a linear regression to account for confounders.ResultsA total of 1240 students participated in the study. The mean ACSS for cosmetic surgeries was 3.14 (±1.37 SD), and 3.25 (±1.49 SD) for cosmetic procedures. Older students, students with a history of previous cosmetic surgeries/procedures, and students with engineering specialties had more acceptance scores in both cosmetic surgeries and procedures. On the other hand, men, students belonging to a middle family income and students who perceived themselves to be aware of the risk associated with cosmetic surgeries/procedures had less acceptance scores. The most reported barrier to have cosmetic surgeries and procedures among students was feeling that they do not need it.ConclusionThe findings from the current study could help dermatologists, plastic surgeons and adolescent specialists wishing to recognise the rising interest in cosmetic surgeries and procedures in Arabic youth populations, the possible associated factors, as well as the barriers to have these surgeries and procedures. A further qualitative in-depth study to explore the acceptance is suggested.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 349-357
Author(s):  
Raphaela Costa Ferreira ◽  
Bruna Merten Padilha ◽  
Yasmin Eugênia Santos e Silva Pedrosa ◽  
Rosielle Batista Ferreira ◽  
Poliana Coelho Cabral ◽  
...  

Study design: This was a cross-sectional, population-based and descriptive study. Study objective: To describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of hypertensive patients at the primary health care of Alagoas state. Methods: This study was carried out in the Basic Health Units of 12 cities of Alagoas, between 2014 and 2015, with hypertensive individuals between 20 and 60 years, of both gender. Socioeconomic, demographic, clinical, lifestyle, anthropometric and biochemical data were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by Epi-Info version 7. Results: We evaluated 645 individuals. Of these, 86.2% were women, 62.3% had uncontrolled blood pressure, 41.9% had low educational level, 11.1% were smokers, 26.3% were alcohol users, 64.7% were sedentary, 48.4% were obese, 73.6% had high cardiovascular risk, according to waist circumference; 54.4% and 47.2% had elevated total cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively. Conclusion: Since hypertension is an important public health problem that has serious consequences, the knowledge of the hypertensive population profile of Alagoas will facilitate the treatment for the health of patients with this condition.


2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-158
Author(s):  
Larissa Akeme Nakano ◽  
Jéssica Toshie Katayose ◽  
Rodrigo Martins Abreu ◽  
Luis Cláudio Alfaia Mendes ◽  
Maria Cleusa Martins ◽  
...  

Summary Introduction: Hepatitis B is an important public health problem in the world and one of the forms of contagion would be through vertical transmission. Precose diagnosis allows the adoption of prophylaxis measures, which results in prevention in more than 90% of cases. Objective: To describe the prevalences of vertical transmission and compare two generations (mother/patient and patient/child). Method: This was a cross-sectional study, which included 101 patients. The interviews were performed through the application of the instrument of data collection and information of the physical file before the medical consultation. Results: The mean ± SD of age was 50.9 ± 13.1 years, the male gender predominated, with 56.4% of the patients, and the predominance was white, with 43.6%. Vertical transmission between mother and patient occurred in 17.8% and between patient and child, in 7.9%. In all of the eight cases of vertical transmission, the diagnosis was after the birth of children infected with HBV, and in 3/8 (37.5%), there was more than one case of infection by this mechanism per patient, totaling 13 children with the disease. Conclusion: There was a reduction in vertical transmission, showing that preventive measures were effective.


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