ArticleSaudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society2021
Self-medication among medical students at the Copperbelt University, Zambia: A cross-sectional study.
Article in Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed.
- Self-Medication Behaviors: Determinants, Motivations, and Safety Practices Among Health Sciences Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Self-medication in times of illness: a multi-center cross-sectional study among medical students in Egypt.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Community pharmacists' knowledge and practices towards antimicrobial stewardship: findings and implications.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Knowledge, awareness and practices of healthcare workers regarding antimicrobial use, resistance and stewardship in Zambia: a multi-facility cross-sectional study.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Community antibiotic consumption and associated factors in Lusaka district of Zambia: findings and implications for antimicrobial resistance and stewardship.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Antimicrobial stewardship: knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance among non-healthcare students at the University of Zambia.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2023Article
- Comparison of knowledge, attitude, practice and predictors of self-medication with antibiotics among medical and non-medical students in Tanzania.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Article
- Healthcare System Distrust and Non-Prescription Antibiotic Use: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Adult Antibiotic Users.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and practices on antimicrobial resistance among pharmacy personnel and nurses at a tertiary hospital in Ndola, Zambia: implications for antimicrobial stewardship programmes.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundSelf-medication is a common practice and cause for concern globally. There is a paucity of information regarding students' self‑medication in Zambia. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the self‑medication practices among the medical students at Copperbelt University.
methodsA descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 334 students. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, entered in excel, cleaned, and exported to SPSS version 21 for statistical analysis. Univariate analysis using Chi-Square or Fishers Exact test was performed. Independent predictors of self-medication practices were determined using logistic regression. Adjusted Odds ratios (AOR) and their 95% confidence intervals are reported.
resultsA total of 334 medical students, with slightly more females (50.3%, n = 168), participated in the study. Of these 61.1% (n = 204) reported self-medicating. Reasons for self-medicating were the presence of long queues at health facilities and lack of time to visit the hospital. Only the year of study was independently associated with self-medicating with those in their 4th year of study being more likely to self-medicate [AOR:3.43, 95% CI: 1.52-7.73].
conclusionStudents should be educated on the consequences of self-medication practices especially the rational use of antibiotics.
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