Assessment of Self-Medication Practices Among Undergraduate Students at a University in Oyo State

Self-medication is prevalent among university students in Nigeria and presents risks including misdiagnosis, inappropriate drug use, and adverse drug reactions. This study assessed the prevalence, patterns, and determinants of self-medication practices among undergraduate students at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, South West Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 320 randomly selected students from non-health science faculties. A pretested structured questionnaire collected data on self-medication behaviour, drug categories used, sources of drug information, and reasons for self-medication. Results showed a prevalence of self-medication of 78.1 percent. Analgesics were the most commonly self-administered drug class, used by 73.4 percent of self-medicating students, followed by antimalarials (54.2 percent) and antibiotics (38.6 percent). The primary drivers of self-medication were perceived mild illness severity, prior experience with similar symptoms, and cost of formal healthcare. Drug information was obtained predominantly from fellow students and social media platforms. Negative outcomes including adverse reactions were reported by 18.9 percent of self-medicating students. Female students and students in higher academic levels showed significantly higher rates of self-medication with antibiotics. The study concludes that self-medication is widespread and not always guided by reliable information sources among this population, and recommends peer-based pharmaceutical awareness campaigns, accessible campus health services, and integration of medicine use education into general student orientation programmes.

Keywords: self-medication, undergraduate students, drug use, University of Ibadan, South West Nigeria