Author(s)

Tanyi Pride Bobga^1,2,3*, Amambua Christian Tayiwoh⁴, Tambobe Bernard Tabah⁴, Ngwa Fabrice Ambe^1,2, Agu Felix Eyong⁵, Dinayen Dieudonne Yusinyu^1,4, Ebai Clinton Tiku^1,4, Ndaka Walters Thabe^1,2, Derick Ngwa Awambeng^6,7

¹Model Preparatory Initiative of Academics, Research and Health (MOPIARH), Buea, Cameroon.
²Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
³Pilem Medical Diagnostic Limited, Bafoussam, Cameroon.
⁴Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
⁵Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.
⁶Department of Health, St Louis Higher Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Buea, Cameroon.
⁷Department of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon.

Introduction: The practice of auto-medication is on the rise in most sub-Saharan countries. The effects of these may be associated with increased drug resistance in the future, complication of the course of a disease, adverse drug interactions etc. Auto-medication is of course a global public health concern, which requires appropriate attention to evade future undesirable effects. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, prevalence and associated determinants of auto-medication in the Limbe municipality. Method: This was a community-based cross-sectional study, conducted among 284 enrolled participants in Limbe Health District between January to August 2021. A structured questionnaire-based interview was used to collect data from each study subject. Then, data were categorised and analysed using SPSS version 20 software. Results: Majority of 213 (75%) of the participants practised auto-medication. The most frequently reported auto-medication symptoms were fever and headache 202 (71.1%). 95 (15.6%) practised auto-medication because they believed it saved time, meanwhile 5 (0.8%) had the belief that health personnel are too busy in the hospital with lots of patients to serve. Concerning knowledge, 68.9%, 13.1% and 18.2% had grading as Good, Poor and uncertain respectively. 58.3% of participants had a positive attitude towards auto-medication while 12.7% were indifferent. Factors associated with the use of auto-medication included: Age (p < 0.05) with age group 20 - 29 years having the greatest prevalence 120 (75%), Education; with people who had attained university education being the highest 135 (84.9%) with p < 0.05. Individuals with households ranging from 3 - 5 persons practised auto-medication most with 86 (78.9%) and p < 0.05. Conclusion: The prevalence of auto-medication remains increasingly high; there is a need for community sensitization to avert the negatives of such practices. The knowledge on auto-medication is fairly above average.

Auto-Medication, Prevalence, Knowledge, Determinants, Limbe Municipality

Bobga, T. , Tayiwoh, A. , Tabah, T. , Ambe, N. , Eyong, A. , Yusinyu, D. , Tiku, E. , Thabe, N. and Awambeng, D. (2022) Prevalence, Knowledge and Associated Determinants of Auto-Medication in the Limbe Municipality. Journal of Biosciences and Medicines, 10, 108-124. doi: 10.4236/jbm.2022.1010008.