Self-medication practices during the COVID-19 pandemic among the adult population in Peru: A cross-sectional survey

Quispe-Cañari, Jean Franco; Fidel-Rosales, Evelyn; Manrique, Diego; Mascaró-Zan, Jesús; Huamán-Castillón, Katia Medalith; Chamorro–Espinoza, Scherlli E.; Garayar–Peceros, Humberto; Ponce–López, Vania L.; Sifuentes-Rosales, Jhesly; Álvarez-Risco, Aldo; Yáñez, Jaime A.; Mejía, Christian R.

doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2020.12.001

Cited by 170 publications

(161 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…Our findings indicated that out of those who self-medicated for the perceived treatment or prevention of COVID-19, more than half of the participants had prescribed the drugs by themselves, over one-third got their prescriptions from medical personnel and some others got theirs either directly from the pharmacies or through recommendation by friends. These findings were in line with studies on self-medication in Nigeria (17), Peru (22), Kenya (23), Dhaka (24), Pakistani (26), Eritrea (9), Iran (28), and Saudi Arabia (29). As with other studies (12,23,30), ours showed that of all those who self-medicated in the last 3 months, more than half, only self-medicated once, while others indulged in self-medication at least once a week.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…We also observed a prevalence of above 30% among respondents <24 years, that attained below tertiary education, of Islamic faith, and with insufficient knowledge of self-medication. Our findings were similar to previous studies on self-medication (21)(22)(23)(24). The reason for the high prevalence was attributed to the ease of access to OTC drugs, the presence of unregistered medicine stores, and pharmacies (14,15).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

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Self-Medication Practices and Associated Factors in the Prevention and/or Treatment of COVID-19 Virus: A Population-Based Survey in Nigeria

Wegbom

Edet

Raimi³

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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Background: The anxiety caused by the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) globally has made many Nigerians resort to self-medication for purported protection against the disease, amid fear of contracting it from health workers and hospital environments. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the knowledge level, causes, prevalence, and determinants of self-medication practices for the prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19 in Nigeria.Methods: A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between June and July 2020 among the Nigerian population, using a self-reported questionnaire. Statistical analysis of descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses was done using STATA 15.Results: A total of 461 respondents participated in the survey. Almost all the respondents had sufficient knowledge about self-medication (96.7%). The overall prevalence of self-medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 was 41%. The contributing factors were fear of stigmatization or discrimination (79.5%), fear of being quarantine (77.3%), and fear of infection or contact with a suspected person (76.3%). The proximal reasons for self-medication were emergency illness (49.1%), delays in receiving hospital services (28.1%), distance to the health facility (23%), and proximity of the pharmacy (21%). The most commonly used drugs for self-medication were vitamin C and multivitamin (51.8%) and antimalarials (24.9%). These drugs were bought mainly from pharmacies (73.9%). From the multivariable logistic regression model, males (OR: 0.79; 95% CI: 0.07–0.54), and sufficient knowledge on SM (OR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.19–0.77) were significantly associated with self-medication.Conclusion: The key finding of this study was the use of different over-the-counter medications for the prevention (mainly vitamin C and multivitamins) and treatment (antibiotics/antimicrobial) of perceived COVID-19 infection by Nigerians with mainly tertiary education. This is despite their high knowledge and risk associated with self-medication. We suggest that medication outlets, media and community should be engaged to support the rational use of medication.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Self-Medication Practices and Associated Factors in the Prevention and/or Treatment of COVID-19 Virus: A Population-Based Survey in Nigeria

Wegbom

Edet

Raimi³

et al. 2021

Front. Public Health

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“…In many regions during 2020, the low level of education and health have made it challenging to manage the pandemic. The physical and mental health of people and health professionals have been affected [36][37][38][39][40][41], while the low literacy regarding health matters in many countries explains the overabundance of information both online and offline (sometimes referred to as an infodemic) generated by the population at a global level [42][43][44].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Expectations and Interests of University Students in COVID-19 Times about Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru

Álvarez-Risco

Del-Aguila-Arcentales

Rosen

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the world, creating the need for new actions from society, including universities and companies. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are part of a global agenda, but this priority is not significant to university students. Although some research has focused on SDGs and university students, there is a lack of evaluation and comparison in Latin American countries. The current study aims to evaluate student knowledge of the SDGs, the relation of student professional careers to the SDGs, the importance of the SDGs for economic development after the COVID-19 pandemic, and student interest research in SDG issues. The study is carried out with students in Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru. The instrument was developed and validated. The highest score of level of knowledge was reported in Mexico and the lowest score in Colombia. This outcome can be explained by the availability of training programs in the universities about SDGs. The availability of programs created and promoted by the governments can also be a reason; however, students from Mexico are the ones who felt the most that the authorities are not making efforts to promote the SDGs. With research interests, interests in creating sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production were recognized for the four countries. The outcomes reveal several interesting insights through comparisons among the four countries considered according to descriptive analyses. Some SDGs were found to be more important for some countries than others. Interests were noted in research on some SDGs.

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“…It was found that male participants consumed chlorine dioxide more frequently to prevent COVID-19. However, studies that evaluated the consumption of other substances (drugs) found no signi cant differences between the sexes [20]. Studies in other countries even found an association between female sex and the use of other substances (drugs, traditional medicine, vitamin C) for COVID-19 prevention [21].…”

Section: Factors Associated With Chlorine Dioxide Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The use of medicinal plants [38] and self-medication are common practices in Peru, especially during the pandemic [20]. However, the fact that people consume one of these measures does not mean that they trust in its e cacy [39] leading them to seek more than one preventive measure such as medicines and to rely on pseudoscienti c beliefs such as the consumption of chlorine dioxide [35].…”

Section: Factors Associated With Chlorine Dioxide Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors Associated With The Consumption Of Chlorine Dioxide To Prevent And Treat COVID-19 In The Peruvian Population

Soriano-Moreno

Fernández-Guzman

Ccami-Bernal

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Chlorine dioxide has been promoted as an alternative for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 especially in Peru, despite the lack of evidence to support its efficacy. We aimed to evaluate the factors associated with chlorine dioxide consumption in the Peruvian population. Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study. An adult Peruvian population was evaluated where chlorine dioxide consumption was divided into two groups according to the purpose of use: as prevention (individuals without COVID-19 history) and as treatment (individuals with COVID-19 history). The associated factors in each group were evaluated using Poisson regressions with the bootstrapping resampling method. Results: Of 3610 participants included, 3213 reported no history of COVID-19, and 397 had been infected. The prevalence of chlorine dioxide consumption to prevent or treat COVID-19 was 8 and 16%, respectively. Factors associated with chlorine dioxide consumption for both prevention and treatment were considering COVID-19 dangerous and lethal and considering chlorine dioxide ineffective or being uninformed of its efficacy. In addition, factors associated with the use of chlorine dioxide only as a preventive were the male sex, being an adult and older adult, having a health sciences student within the family unit, using medical information as the main source of information of COVID-19, having some comorbidity, and using medications and plants for prevention of COVID-19. Conclusions: The prevalence of chlorine dioxide consumption among the Peruvian population evaluated was high so it is important to apply information strategies, prioritizing population groups with certain characteristics that are associated with a higher consumption pattern.

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Self-medication practices during the COVID-19 pandemic among the adult population in Peru: A cross-sectional survey

Cited by 170 publications

References 56 publications

Self-Medication Practices and Associated Factors in the Prevention and/or Treatment of COVID-19 Virus: A Population-Based Survey in Nigeria

Self-Medication Practices and Associated Factors in the Prevention and/or Treatment of COVID-19 Virus: A Population-Based Survey in Nigeria

Expectations and Interests of University Students in COVID-19 Times about Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru

Factors Associated With The Consumption Of Chlorine Dioxide To Prevent And Treat COVID-19 In The Peruvian Population

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