Background: Analgesics are drugs that relieve pain. They are widely used and generally safe, but some people consume excessive quantities that cause side effects. Ibuprofen has side effects on Kidney functions, while an overdose of Paracetamol cause severe liver damage. This study aimed to estimatethe Knowledge, attitude, and practice of female students on over the counter (OTC) oral analgesics.
Methodology: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in Jazan University (Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Computer Science and Faculty of Art) on 440 female students. Students were selected by stratified randomized sampling. The sample was distributed proportionally between medical and non-medical colleges.
Results: OTC oral analgesics use was high among all students at 77.0% and we found that the menstrual pain was the first cause (38.2%), followe by headache with 25.9 %. Knowledge level was generally poor, since awareness about the toxic dose and adverse effects of Ibuprofen was low; and only (11.8%) of participants knew the toxicity of the dose. Similarly knowledge about the toxic dose and adverse effects of Paracetamol was low; , since only 12.3% were knowledgeable about this.
Conclusion: The usage of OTC oral analgesics was high among all students. Subjects form Faculty of Arts had the highest prevalence, while Faculty of Medicine subjects were with the lowest prevalence. The menstrual pain was the most frequent cause for OTC oral analgesics usage followed by headache.
Key words: Knowledge, attitude, practices, OTC, oral analgesics, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
|
