Common illnesses and self-care.

Self-care has become a topic of widespread interest in recent years. However, few studies of the content and methods of self-care are available to inform health education program design. The present study identified common illnesses that were reported by 258 western university students and how those illnesses were typically cared for. Illness reporting differed significantly by gender, marital status, and perceived health status. Illness treatment differed only for perceived health status. Results suggest that treatment of an illness once self-diagnosed does not differ across groups but that labeling of illnesses does. The suggestion is made that educational programs may need to place greater emphasis on appropriate diagnosis of illness.