Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36960181›Full record

ArticlePatient preference and adherence2023

A Comparative Piloting of Determinants of Self-Medication Among University Students in the MENA Region; UAE and Jordan as an Example.

Abdallah Alzoubi, Eiman M Nasor, Elaf M O Suliman, Nour AlQaderi, Shahd H I AbbasTanira, Syed Ali Hussein Abdi, Shadi Mustafa, Khalid Kheirallah

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Patient preference and adherence, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Abdallah AlzoubiDepartment of Pathological Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.ORCID 0000-0002-0467-8420
Eiman M NasorDepartment of Pathological Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.ORCID 0000-0002-9627-6794
Elaf M O SulimanDepartment of Pathological Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Nour AlQaderiDepartment of Pathological Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Shahd H I AbbasTaniraDepartment of Pathological Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Syed Ali Hussein AbdiDepartment of Pathological Sciences, College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
Shadi MustafaDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Khalid KheirallahDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.ORCID 0000-0003-4504-4472

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: Unsupervised self-medication (SM) is a global public health concern. University students are particularly vulnerable due to misperceptions of improved academic performance and thus are at risk of dependence, addiction, and drug overdose. Past studies have shown an alarming prevalence of SM among university students in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. However, there is a scarcity of reports from the region dissecting determinants of SM. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence and epidemiological correlates of SM among university students and its perceived impact on their academic performance. Methods: Two countries in the MENA region were surveyed in a cross-sectional design; UAE and Jordan. Through a stratified sampling technique, undergraduate students in both healthcare and non-healthcare majors of study were recruited to participate. A structured, self-administered questionnaire developed for the purpose of this study was distributed to consented participants via the university's official email. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. A Results: A total of 362 students participated in the study (74% were females, 60% were from the UAE, and 59% were in healthcare majors). Significantly higher prevalence rates and adjusted odds of SM were found among females, students from Jordan, and those in healthcare majors, particularly for paracetamol (90.2% of females [ Conclusion: Our pilot study underlines the predominant determinants of SM among university students in the MENA region, namely female gender, students from Jordan, and those in healthcare majors. Informed data-driven awareness campaigns to mitigate such practice should be designed to focus on these susceptible populations.

Indexed as

JordanMENApilotself-medicationUAEuniversity

Identifiers

PMID36960181
PMCPMC10028299

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.