Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding self-medication among Generation Z university students

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Self-medication is a prevalent behavior globally.
• Understanding its drivers among health science students is crucial for future healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of self-medication.
• To identify factors associated with self-medication in health science students.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study with 237 health science students at a public university.
• Data collected via structured form on sociodemographics, knowledge, attitudes, and practices.
• Descriptive analysis and regression modeling were employed.

Main Results:

• 84.8% of students practiced self-medication with favorable attitudes.
• Adequate knowledge was found in 57.7%; early-grade students had less knowledge.
• Favorable attitudes linked to 18-20 age group and low income; high self-medication rates associated with young age and Black ethnicity.

Conclusions:

• High self-medication rates reflect academic pressures and a false sense of autonomy.
• Structural inequalities contribute to self-medication vulnerabilities.
• Institutional interventions are necessary to promote medication safety.