Self‑Medication during the COVID‑19 Pandemic: Prevalence, Pattern and Risk Factors amongst Residents in a Semi‑Urban Nigerian Community

Abstract

Context: The lack of proven treatment for COVID‑19 compounded by limitless information on supposed useful remedies has led to a surge in self‑medication (SM). A Google Trends search showed that the search for SM and related terms increased during the current pandemic.
Aims: The main aims of this study were to explore the prevalence, patterns and determinants of SM amongst residents in an Semi-urban community located in Southern Nigeria, during the COVID‑19 pandemic period.
Settings and Design: This cross‑sectional study was conducted in a semi‑urban Nigerian community from April to June 2020.
Subjects and Methods: The stratified sampling method was used to select 384 study participants from the five wards in the community. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain socio‑demographic data, psychographic information and history of SM since the onset of the pandemic.
Statistical Analysis Used: The statistical analysis used was SPSS 22.0 (IBM SPSS Statistics, New York, USA).
Results: The overall prevalence of SM was 25.5%; of these, 8.2% self‑medicated for prevention or treatment of COVID‑19 infection. Chloroquine (CQ) tablets were ingested by 46.6% of those who self‑medicated. Those in Class I occupational level had five times the odds of self‑medicating compared to those in Class V (P = 0.035).
Conclusions: A quarter of the respondents practised SM during the COVID‑19 pandemic; one‑third of these self‑medicated to prevent or treat COVID‑19. The most frequent drug used for prophylaxis and treatment of COVID‑19 was CQ. Higher income and occupational level were associated with SM.