Introduction: Regulations on the sell and use of medicines in the Democratic Republic of Congo are at a rudimentary level. Self-medication is frequently used and it practice in all country, and in all social categories. It is the first therapeutic remedy used by the Congolese, before going to a hospital institution, if and only if the disease persists or worsens. The concern lies in the practice of self-medication among women of childbearing age. Hence the objective of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Congolese women of childbearing age regarding the risks and consequences of self-medication. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study, with an analytical aim, carried out among women of childbearing age, in Kinshasa town, during the period from March 15 to November 30, 2022. The selection of participants was made in the 4 districts of the Town, by taking women who met our criteria of selection. Study parameters included sociodemographics, prevalence, and determinants of self-medication. Results: In total, 402 subjects have been enroled (mean age 27.3 ±8.4), women in the age group of 25-34 years (53.5%), singles (56.0%), with a high level of education (76.4%) and having a profession (59.2%). The majority of women knew the person authorized to prescribe the medications (78.6%), knew of the existence of self-medication (77.4%), and even practiced it (76.4%); but the majority (78.1%) were unaware of the dangers resulting from the practice of self-medication. The majority of them (64.4%) are victims of complications from self-medication. Civil status and religion remain therisk factors independently associated withself-medication. Conclusion: The Congolese woman of childbearing age, single and with a high level of education, knows the role of the Doctor in medical prescription, knows the existence and practice of self-medication, while ignoring the dangers that can result from it, despite She herself is a victim of complications from self-medication. This practice had as risk factors, marital status and religion.
| Published in | Central African Journal of Public Health (Volume 10, Issue 4) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11 |
| Page(s) | 163-175 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Self-Medication, Self-Care, Woman, Risk, Congo, Complication
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APA Style
Michael, K. K., Michel, W. S., Steve, M. B. (2024). Knowledge and Attitude of Congolese Women of Childbearing Age Regarding the Risks and Consequences of Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study. Central African Journal of Public Health, 10(4), 163-175. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11
ACS Style
Michael, K. K.; Michel, W. S.; Steve, M. B. Knowledge and Attitude of Congolese Women of Childbearing Age Regarding the Risks and Consequences of Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cent. Afr. J. Public Health 2024, 10(4), 163-175. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11
AMA Style
Michael KK, Michel WS, Steve MB. Knowledge and Attitude of Congolese Women of Childbearing Age Regarding the Risks and Consequences of Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cent Afr J Public Health. 2024;10(4):163-175. doi: 10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11
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Download@article{10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11,
author = {Kapitene Kamuanga Michael and Wembosongo Shokanga Michel and Makolo Bueyi Steve},
title = {Knowledge and Attitude of Congolese Women of Childbearing Age Regarding the Risks and Consequences of Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study
},
journal = {Central African Journal of Public Health},
volume = {10},
number = {4},
pages = {163-175},
doi = {10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.cajph.20241004.11},
abstract = {Introduction: Regulations on the sell and use of medicines in the Democratic Republic of Congo are at a rudimentary level. Self-medication is frequently used and it practice in all country, and in all social categories. It is the first therapeutic remedy used by the Congolese, before going to a hospital institution, if and only if the disease persists or worsens. The concern lies in the practice of self-medication among women of childbearing age. Hence the objective of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Congolese women of childbearing age regarding the risks and consequences of self-medication. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study, with an analytical aim, carried out among women of childbearing age, in Kinshasa town, during the period from March 15 to November 30, 2022. The selection of participants was made in the 4 districts of the Town, by taking women who met our criteria of selection. Study parameters included sociodemographics, prevalence, and determinants of self-medication. Results: In total, 402 subjects have been enroled (mean age 27.3 ±8.4), women in the age group of 25-34 years (53.5%), singles (56.0%), with a high level of education (76.4%) and having a profession (59.2%). The majority of women knew the person authorized to prescribe the medications (78.6%), knew of the existence of self-medication (77.4%), and even practiced it (76.4%); but the majority (78.1%) were unaware of the dangers resulting from the practice of self-medication. The majority of them (64.4%) are victims of complications from self-medication. Civil status and religion remain therisk factors independently associated withself-medication. Conclusion: The Congolese woman of childbearing age, single and with a high level of education, knows the role of the Doctor in medical prescription, knows the existence and practice of self-medication, while ignoring the dangers that can result from it, despite She herself is a victim of complications from self-medication. This practice had as risk factors, marital status and religion.
},
year = {2024}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Knowledge and Attitude of Congolese Women of Childbearing Age Regarding the Risks and Consequences of Self-Medication: A Cross-Sectional Study AU - Kapitene Kamuanga Michael AU - Wembosongo Shokanga Michel AU - Makolo Bueyi Steve Y1 - 2024/07/29 PY - 2024 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11 DO - 10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11 T2 - Central African Journal of Public Health JF - Central African Journal of Public Health JO - Central African Journal of Public Health SP - 163 EP - 175 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-5781 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.cajph.20241004.11 AB - Introduction: Regulations on the sell and use of medicines in the Democratic Republic of Congo are at a rudimentary level. Self-medication is frequently used and it practice in all country, and in all social categories. It is the first therapeutic remedy used by the Congolese, before going to a hospital institution, if and only if the disease persists or worsens. The concern lies in the practice of self-medication among women of childbearing age. Hence the objective of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of Congolese women of childbearing age regarding the risks and consequences of self-medication. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study, with an analytical aim, carried out among women of childbearing age, in Kinshasa town, during the period from March 15 to November 30, 2022. The selection of participants was made in the 4 districts of the Town, by taking women who met our criteria of selection. Study parameters included sociodemographics, prevalence, and determinants of self-medication. Results: In total, 402 subjects have been enroled (mean age 27.3 ±8.4), women in the age group of 25-34 years (53.5%), singles (56.0%), with a high level of education (76.4%) and having a profession (59.2%). The majority of women knew the person authorized to prescribe the medications (78.6%), knew of the existence of self-medication (77.4%), and even practiced it (76.4%); but the majority (78.1%) were unaware of the dangers resulting from the practice of self-medication. The majority of them (64.4%) are victims of complications from self-medication. Civil status and religion remain therisk factors independently associated withself-medication. Conclusion: The Congolese woman of childbearing age, single and with a high level of education, knows the role of the Doctor in medical prescription, knows the existence and practice of self-medication, while ignoring the dangers that can result from it, despite She herself is a victim of complications from self-medication. This practice had as risk factors, marital status and religion. VL - 10 IS - 4 ER -
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Protestant University of Congo, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Department of Public Health, John Wesley Methodist University, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo; Emerging Disease Management Unit, Micha’gloire Medical-Surgical and Maternity Center, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Department of Public Health, John Wesley Methodist University, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care, Protestant University of Congo, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
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