Prevalence and causes of self-medication in postmenopausal women referring to health centers in Ahwaz, Iran

Abstract

Self-medication is one of the most important health-social concerns, especially in the women society in postmenopausal period. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and causes of self-medication in postmenopausal women visiting health centers in Ahwaz. In this –analytical-descriptive study, 650 postmenopausal women referring to seven health centers in Ahwaz were randomly chosen as the research units, based on the family’s medical file numberand their appropriate allocation and then asemi-structured questionnaire was completed through some interviews. Our results showed that 32.8% of menopausal women had experienced self-medication. The highest frequency belonged to the age group of 45- to 55-year-olds. Not believing in the effectiveness of the physicians and the influence of herbal products are the most common reasons for self-medicating (51.7%). The most common reasons for using synthetic drugs are as follows: previous illness (62.3%), in the case of herbal remedies and medicinal plants, the effectiveness of these products was considered (35.2, 58.6%). Considering the high rate of self-medication, proper strategies to promote the level of public culture and inclusive education based on the principle of “prevention is prior to treatment”, shall be effective in preventing self-medication.