A Study to Assess the Self Medication Practices Among People in Bangalore

Background: Self-medication is one of the major health concerns worldwide. Most people are not aware of the serious consequences faced by them if they take medications specially the antibiotics on their own. It is very evident that self-medication is increasing in the developing countries like India. Hence, this study is designed to study the self-medication practices in the metro city Bangalore, India. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted, and data was collected by using structured questionnaire. Data was collected from 350 persons and analyzed using SPSS. Results: The prevalence of self-medication was 94%. The study revealed that self-medication was practiced more among young than old age group (P = 0.004). Unmarried people practiced self-medication more than the married people (P = 0.011). 80% preferred allopathic medicines. The common ailments for which self-medication was practiced were Common cold (59%), Headache (57%) and fever (55%). The type of drugs commonly used were Antipyretics (51%) and analgesics (43%). Conclusion: The study revealed that prevalence of self-medication was high. 91% of the respondents were belonging to urban area and hence it attributes to higher educational background and socioeconomic status. More awareness should be created on the side effects of practicing self-medication. Key words: Self-medication, Urban population, Rural population, Prevalence .