ArticleBMC public health2021
Assessment of self-medication practices in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak in Togo.
Article in BMC public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 68 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
68 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 202 citations in OpenAlex.
- The nature of self-medication in Uganda: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2025Pooled it
- A systematic review of self-medication practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for pharmacy practice in supporting public health measures.Frontiers in public health · 2023Pooled it
- Prevalence of self-medication during COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Self-management of long COVID symptoms with over-the-counter medicines and other non-prescribed therapies: a cross-sectional survey.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Prescription-only medicine requests by clients: Insights from community pharmacies.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2026Article
- Use of chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine or ivermectin for Covid-19 prevention in vulnerable Brazilian populations.Revista de saude publica · 2026Article
- Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and behaviors related to self-medication practices among the adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Occurrence and temporal changes of pharmaceuticals in the Warta River in Poland during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Prevalence of self-medication with vitamin or mineral supplements in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- Long COVID and Associated Factors Among Chinese Residents Aged 16 Years and Older in Canada: A Cross-Sectional Online Study.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Drug stockpiling behavior and its impact on anxiety among the general public in the early stage after the lifting of China's Zero-COVID policy: results from a web-based survey.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Article
- Assessment of factors associated with self-medication practices during the COVID-19 pandemic in southwestern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional survey.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Patterns of self-medication and intention to seek pharmacist guidance among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Macao: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Impact assessment of self-medication on COVID-19 prevalence in Gauteng, South Africa, using an age-structured disease transmission modelling framework.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Wonderings to research questions: Engaging patients in long COVID research prioritization within a learning health system.Learning health systems · 2024Article
- Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV, malaria and tuberculosis indicators in Togo: an interrupted time series analysis.BMJ global health · 2024Article
- Factors associated with the use of medicines and self-medication during the COVID-19 pandemic in 12 Latin American countries.Heliyon · 2024Article
- A Qualitative Study of the Experience of COVID-19 Patients in Burkina Faso.The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene · 2024Article
- Self-medication with antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study among adults in Tema, Ghana.PloS one · 2024Article
8 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTo date, there is no effective treatment for COVID-19, which is a pandemic disease, caused by a novel coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2. In Togo, where four in five people practice self-medication, the absence of a cure for COVID-19 and the constant progression of the disease requires an assessment of self-medication patterns in the context of the pandemic. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of self-medication to prevent COVID-19 and its associated factors in Lomé, Togo.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in Lomé, the capital city of Togo, from April 23rd to May 8th, 2020, with a sample of participants from five sectors: the healthcare, air transport, police, road transport and informal sectors. The participants were invited to provide information about their self-medication practices to prevent COVID-19 in the 2 weeks preceding the survey.
resultsA total of 955 participants (71.6% men) with a median age of 36 (IQR 32-43) were included. Approximately 22.1% were in the air transport sector, 20.5% were in the police sector, and 38.7% were in the health sector. The overall prevalence of self-medication to prevent COVID-19 was 34.2% (95% CI: 31.2-37.3%). The most commonly used products were vitamin C (27.6%) and traditional medicine (10.2%). Only 2.0% of participants reported using chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine. Female sex (aOR=1.90; p< 0.001), work in the health sector (aOR=1.89; p= 0.001), secondary education level (aOR= 2.28; p= 0.043) and university education level (aOR= 5.11; p< 0.001) were associated with self-medication.
conclusionOne-third of the individuals in high-risk populations in Lomé practiced self-medication. Intensifying awareness campaigns is crucial to fight misinformation about alleged COVID-19 prevention products on social media.
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