Self-Medication Among Women in Yasouj City and Factors Associated with it: A Preliminary Study for Designing an Intervention Based on Health Belief Model

Self-medication, as a common risky health behavior, has financial and non-financial costs for Iranians. This study aimed at determining the situation of self-medication and factors influencing it among women in Yasuj, Iran.
This cross-sectional study was performed on 192 women referred to urban health care centers in Yasuj, selected randomly from the existing health files at the centers. Data were collected using a standard questionnaire based on the Health Belief Model and analyzed by SPSS 16 statistical software.
The most widely used medicines for self-medication were those for common cold and antibiotics from among over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and prescription-only-medicines (POM), respectively. Perceived susceptibility (17.63± 3.46) was the main construct associated with self-medication among women.
Once the causes of self-medication and its relationship with the Health Belief Model constructs are known, designing and implementing educational programs aiming at promoting awareness and perception of population groups, especially women, seems necessary.