Prevalence and Social Determinants of Non-medical use of prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs among Secondary School Students

Bede Chinonye Akpunne, Ebere A. Ngwu, Pwanonzadi Nankwet Mamba, Aderonke A. Akintola, Ebenezer Olutope Akinnawo, Folake Sekinot Alo and Olubukola A. Wellington
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Bede Chinonye Akpunne: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State.
Ebere A. Ngwu: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State.
Pwanonzadi Nankwet Mamba: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State.
Aderonke A. Akintola: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State.
Ebenezer Olutope Akinnawo: Department of Pure and Applied Psychology Adekunle Ajashin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria.
Folake Sekinot Alo: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State.
Olubukola A. Wellington: Department of Sociology and Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Redeemers’ University, Ede, Osun State.

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2024, vol. 8, issue 9, 2214-2222

Abstract: This study investigated the influence of gender and location on non-medical use of prescription and Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs among secondary school students in selected communities of Lagos and Adamawa states. A multi-stage sampling technique was adopted to select 196 participants from Lagos and 198 participants from Yola. 203 males and 191 females (mean ± SD age of 16.1 ±1.8 years) responded to the Prescription Medication Use Scale (PMUS) and a structured questionnaire. Prevalence of OTC drug use by categories was Analgesics 42.2%, Antibiotics 32.4% and dietary supplements 33.8%. Prevalence by individual OTC medications includes cough syrup 63.2%, Herbs 30.3%, Sleeping pills (tranquillizers) 22.1%, Slimming pills / Teas 20.6%, Indocid (indomethacin) 14.0%, Codeine 5.1%, and Tramadol 4.8%. Significant sex influence was observed on Analgesics (t = 2.52, p = .012), and on Tramadol in particular (t= 2.99, p =.003) with males manifesting higher mean scores. Sex has no significant influence on dietary supplements (t =1.68, p =.104), Antibiotics (t= 1.10, p = .271) and Codeine (t = .825, p=.410). Location had a significant influence on the use of Analgesics (t=2.50, p=.013) and Dietary supplements (t= 7.22, p = .000) and antibiotics use (t = 3.20, p = .001) with Lagos reporting higher mean scores. The location had no significant influence on Tramadol and Codeine use. Authors conclude that there is a high prevalence of non-medical use of prescription and OTC drugs among participants; sex, as well as location individually, has a significant influence on Prescription and OTC drugs among secondary school students.

Date: 2024
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