Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Ayosanmi, Oluwasola Stephen; Alli, Babatunde Y.; Akingbule, Oluwatosin; Alaga, Adeyemi; Perepelkin, Jason; Marjorie, Delbaere; Sansgiry, Sujit S.; Taylor, Jeff

doi:10.3390/antibiotics11060808

Cited by 35 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 29 publications

(85 reference statements)

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“…This study, which was conducted to estimate the cumulative prevalence of self-medication in the COVID-19 pandemic, showed that nearly half of the people have self-medicated. The results of a previous meta-analysis conducted on 14 relevant studies published between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2022, showed that the pooled prevalence of self-medication was 44.9% ( 65 ). In addition to updating that study, we reported the results of 56 eligible studies by continent, target population, and time of data collection in the present study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Kazemioula

Golestani²,

Alavi³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on travel and quarantine measures made people turn to self-medication (SM) to control the symptoms of their diseases. Different studies were conducted worldwide on different populations, and their results were different. Therefore, this global systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication.MethodsIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, databases of Scopus, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched without a time limit. All eligible observational articles that reported self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic were analyzed. Heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using Cochran's Q test and I2 statistics. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-medication. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.ResultsFifty-six eligible studies were reviewed. The pooled prevalence of self-medication was 48.6% (95% CI: 42.8–54.3). The highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was in Asia (53%; 95% CI: 45–61) and Europe (40.8%; 95% CI: 35–46.8). Also, the highest and lowest prevalence of self-medication was related to students (54.5; 95% CI: 40.8–68.3) and healthcare workers (32.5%; 16–49). The prevalence of self-medication in the general population (48.8%; 40.6–57) and in patients with COVID-19 (41.7%; 25.5–58). The prevalence of self-medication was higher in studies that collected data in 2021 than in 2020 (51.2 vs. 48%). Publication bias was not significant (p = 0.320).ConclusionDuring the COVID-19 pandemic, self-medication was highly prevalent, so nearly half of the people self-medicated. Therefore, it seems necessary to provide public education to control the consequences of self-medication.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Kazemioula

Golestani²,

Alavi³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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“…It is reported that a lot of people used dietary supplements and over-the counter drugs as self-medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, and a systematic review was conducted [ 45 ]. This systematic review included 14 studies from 14 countries (Japan was not included), and the prevalence of self-medication for the prevention of COVID-19 was 44.9% (from 3.9% to 96.2% among studies).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use for the Purpose of COVID-19 Prevention in Japan

Chiba

Tanemura

2022

Nutrients

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COVID-19 is still the biggest issue worldwide. Many dietary supplements on the market claim to have anti-COVID-19 effects without scientific evidence. To elucidate the prevalence of dietary supplement usage for the prevention of COVID-19, we conducted an online cross-sectional questionnaire survey among Japanese adults in January 2022. The prevalence of dietary supplement use for the prevention of COVID-19 was 8.3%, and there was no gender difference. We also conducted additional research on these dietary supplement users (1000 males and 1000 females). The most popular ingredient used was vitamin C (61.0%), with vitamin D (34.9%) and probiotics (33.4%) following. Half of these participants reported using supplements for more than one year. The information sources that reportedly led them to start using dietary supplements for the prevention of COVID-19 were the Internet (44.0%), television and radio (29.9%), and family or friends (26.0%), and these information sources differed among generations. In conclusion, some of the population used vitamin/mineral supplements for the prevention of COVID-19 that might be beneficial for their health, but some used ingredients with no scientifically proven effects against the virus at this time. Therefore, information-based scientific evidence is important to prevent the inappropriate use of dietary supplements by consumers.

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“…Additionally, there has been a surge in self-medication activities since the COVID-19 pandemic because of the societal perception of risk and the urge to accomplish something for preventative and curative reasons [ 54 , 55 , 56 ]. A recent systematic review revealed that the prevalence of COVID-19-related self-medication was 44.9%, and 79% of them were antibiotics [ 57 ]. This finding implies that the COVID-19 pandemic may increase the risk of antibiotic resistance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on the Antibiotic Use Patterns among a Rural Community Population in Eastern China

Zhu

Zhao

et al. 2022

Antibiotics

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There are growing concerns that the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may change antibiotic use patterns and accelerate antibiotic resistance, but evidence from the community level is lacking. This study aims to estimate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the antibiotic use patterns among a community population in Eastern China. A self-administered medicine diary was used to collect information on antibiotic use from July 2019 to June 2021 among a rural community in Eastern China. We analyzed the changes in antibiotic use patterns over five months from August to December 2019 and the corresponding months in 2020. The risk of antibiotic use and its changes were measured with the incidence rate (IR) and relative risk (RR). In total, 1111 participants were eligible for the final analysis (440 in 2019 and 671 in 2020). After the COVID-19 outbreak, antibiotic use increased by 137% (5.43 per 100 person months in the 2019 vs. 12.89 per 100 person months in the 2020), and after the adjustment of covariates, the adjusted RR was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.10~2.34). It was higher among those who were women (RR = 2.62), aged 35–59 years old (RR = 2.72), non-farmers (RR = 2.75), had less than six years of education (RR = 2.61), had an annual household income over CNY 100,000 (USD 14,940) (RR = 2.60), and had no history of chronic diseases (RR = 2.61) (all p < 0.05). The proportion of cephalosporins consumed increased from 54.29% in 2019 to 64.92% in 2020 (p = 0.011). Among those aged 35 years and older, the proportion of antibiotics obtained from medical facilities increased, while the proportion obtained from retail pharmacies, homes, and other sources decreased (all p < 0.05). The COVID-19 outbreak changed antibiotic use patterns in this study population (Eastern China) significantly. More efforts to monitor and enhance antibiotic stewardship activities at the community level are needed in future.

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Prevalence and Correlates of Self-Medication Practices for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review

Cited by 35 publications

References 29 publications

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The Prevalence of Dietary Supplement Use for the Purpose of COVID-19 Prevention in Japan

Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on the Antibiotic Use Patterns among a Rural Community Population in Eastern China

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