Yene Fentahun, Bantie Berihun, Yilma Tarekegn, Zinab Idalamin, Animen Simachew
Department of Clinical Midwifery, School of Health Science, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Department of Comprehensive Nursing, College of Health Science, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 2;15(1):22851. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-80247-y.
Non-prescribed drug utilization is the act of using medication to treat self-diagnosed problems without consulting a healthcare provider. Pregnant women are among the most vulnerable population groups for self-medication to treat pregnancy-related problems. The use of non-prescribed drugs, however, has numerous detrimental effects on both the growing fetus and the mother. Besides, community-based information regarding the pattern of non-prescribed drug use is limited in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aims to investigate non-prescribed drug use and its associated factors among pregnant women in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia, in 2023. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 358 pregnant mothers in the peri-urban kebeles of Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia. A systematic random sampling technique (every K = 3 households) was used to select the final study participants. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, entered into EpiData version 7.2.2 software, and exported to SPSS version 25 for further analysis. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify the factors influencing non-prescribed drug utilization status. The level of significance of the association was determined at a P-value < 0.05 with a 95% CI. A total of 358 (99.4%) pregnant women participated in the study. The mean age of the participants was 25.06 years (Standard Deviation ± 4.25). Overall, the prevalence of non-prescribed drug use among pregnant women was 37.7% (95% CI: 32.8-41.7%). The most common reasons for using non-prescribed drugs were the easy availability of these drugs in pharmacies and drug stores, followed by their relatively low cost. Enrollment in health insurance (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.03-0.76), being primigravida (AOR = 3.05, 95% CI: 1.03-5.08), and experiencing pregnancy-related complications (AOR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.99-2.76) were found to be significant factors influencing the utilization of non-prescribed drugs among pregnant mothers. In the current study, non-prescribed drug use among pregnant mothers was high. Health insurance enrollment status, gravidity, and the presence of any pregnancy-related complications were identified as significant predictors of non-prescribed drug use among pregnant mothers. Hence, stakeholders should invest their efforts in increasing community enrollment in health insurance programs and place special emphasis on high-risk groups prone to non-prescribed drug use.
非处方药的使用是指在未咨询医疗保健提供者的情况下，自行使用药物治疗自我诊断问题的行为。孕妇是自我用药治疗与妊娠相关问题的最脆弱人群之一。然而，使用非处方药对发育中的胎儿和母亲都有许多有害影响。此外，在埃塞俄比亚，关于非处方药使用模式的社区信息有限。因此，本研究旨在调查2023年埃塞俄比亚西南部吉马镇孕妇的非处方药使用情况及其相关因素。在埃塞俄比亚西南部吉马镇城郊的社区进行了一项基于社区的横断面研究，对358名孕妇母亲进行了调查。采用系统随机抽样技术（每K = 3户）选择最终研究参与者。使用访谈员管理的结构化问卷收集数据，录入EpiData 7.2.2版本软件，并导出到SPSS 25版本进行进一步分析。采用双变量和多变量逻辑回归模型来确定影响非处方药使用状况的因素。关联的显著性水平在P值<0.05、95%置信区间的情况下确定。共有358名（99.4%）孕妇参与了研究。参与者的平均年龄为25.06岁（标准差±4.25）。总体而言，孕妇中非处方药的使用率为37.7%（95%置信区间：32.8 - 41.7%）。使用非处方药最常见的原因是这些药物在药店容易买到，其次是成本相对较低。参加健康保险（调整后比值比[AOR]=0.21，95%置信区间：0.03 - 0.76）、初产妇（AOR = 3.05，95%置信区间：1.03 - 5.08）以及经历与妊娠相关的并发症（AOR = 2.34，95%置信区间：1.99 - 2.76）被发现是影响孕妇母亲非处方药使用的重要因素。在当前研究中，孕妇母亲中非处方药的使用率较高。健康保险参保状况、妊娠次数以及是否存在任何与妊娠相关的并发症被确定为孕妇母亲非处方药使用的重要预测因素。因此，利益相关者应努力提高社区健康保险计划的参保率，并特别关注容易使用非处方药的高危人群。
