Background: Despite the growing research interest in self-medication, little information has been available about its major determinants especially in developing countries. This informed the conduct of this study to determine the major factors that influence the pattern of self medication in a population of market women in Ifako-Ijaiye area of Lagos, Nigeria. Methods: Interviewer administered pretested semistructured questionnaire was used to collect data from 205 market women selected by multistage sampling technique. Results: The patent medicine dealers were the commonest source of information on medications (31.4%) and where they were obtained (52.2%). The exceptions were the educated (62.5%) respondents who obtained theirs from hospitals and pharmacies. Trade and generic names (61.1%) were common means of drug recognition especially among the educated respondents (P < .05). Education of the respondents was the major factor influencing the practice of self-medication though the pattern was descriptively associated with the marital status and educational level of the respondents (P < .05). Benefits of the practice includes in the order: curing of ailments (58.0%), saving time and money (32.0%) and independence of care (7.0%). Conclusion: Literacy and public health education were the major factors influencing the pattern of selfmedication among market women. Recommendations on the role of education of market women, patent medicine dealers and the importance of community pharmacy were suggested.Key Words: Factors; pattern; self-medication; market women; Nigeria Résumé Contexte: Malgré l'intérêt croissant de la recherche sur l'automédication, peu de connaissances sont disponibles sur les déterminants majeurs notamment dans les pays en voie de développement. Cela est à l'origine de cette étude ayant pour but de déterminer les facteurs majeurs influençant le motif de l'automédication dans une population de femmes au marche dans la zone de Ifako-Ijaiye a Lagos au Nigeria. Méthode: Un questionnaire semi structuré a été utilise par des enquêteurs pour collecter les données de 205 femmes au marche sélectionnées par une méthode d'échantillonnage stratifié. Résultats: Les vendeurs de médicaments agréés étaient la source usuelle d'informations sur les médicaments (31,4%) et le lieu ont-elles étaient obtenues (52,2%). Les exceptions concernaient les participantes instruites (62,5%) qui s'informaient auprès des hôpitaux et pharmacies. Les noms de marque et les génériques (61,1%) étaient des moyens habituels d'identification des produits en particulier pour les participantes instruites (p<0,05). L'instruction des participantes était le facteur Self -medication in adults. Afolabi O. A.Page | 121 majeur influençant la pratique de l'automédication bien que le motif soit descriptive associe avec le statut marital et le niveau d'instruction des participantes (p<0,05). Les bénéfices de la pratique comportent par ordre décroissant les soins pour maladies (58,0%), le gain de temps et d'argent (32,0%) et le non dépendance de ...

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Aim:This study was designed to determine the proportion of general out patients who practice self medication, the drugs employed and the reasons for resorting to self medication.Methodology:This study was conducted between June and December, 2007 at the General Outpatient Clinic of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. Two hundred consenting respondents were selected by simple random sampling and interviewed with the aid of semi structured questionnaire by the authors with three assistants. Information regarding their bio-data, history of self medication, drugs used and the reasons for resorting to self medication were obtained.Results:Majority of the respondents (85%) admitted to self medication while the remaining proportion (15%) did not practice it. Drugs utilized could be single, usually analgesics (26.5%) and anti-malaria (15.9%) or in combinations, usually antimalaria-analgesics (22.4%), antimalariaanalgesic- antibiotic (15.3%) and antibiotic-analgesic (10.0%). The reasons cited by respondents for self medication were their perception of their complaints been minor enough to be amenable to self medication (54.7%) and financial constraint (22.4%).Conclusion:Majority of the respondents practiced self medication using an array of drugs like analgesics, anti-malaria and antibiotics used either singly or in combination. The main reasons identified for self medication were that the ailments were minor and financial constraint.

The practice of selfmedication has been extensively researched but there is dearth of information about its modality among dental patients in developing countries. Hence, this study was designed to determine the proportion of dental patients who practice, medications employed and the reasons for resorting to self medication in general dental populations in Ondo State, Nigeria and to make appropriate recommendations.

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