ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to investigate the Knowledge of the dangers of Self-medication amongst undergraduates in the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State. Four research questions were raised to guide this study. The descriptive research design was adopted for this study and random sampling technique was used to select a sample of 157 (one hundred and fifty seven) students in the faculty of Education to represent the study population. Data was collected from the 157 respondents using a closed ended questionnaire with twenty (20) items. The data collected was analyzed and interpreted using simple frequencies, percentage, mean and standard deviation.
Based on the data collected and analyzed, it was concluded that respondents have high knowledge of the dangers of self-medication, undergraduates in the University of Benin have high understanding of the dangers of self-medication, undergraduates of the University of Benin are familiar with the dangers of antibiotic misuse and antibiotic resistance resulting from self-medication and lastly, and have high knowledge regarding the risk of miss-diagnosis and delayed treatment associated with self-medication.
Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended to develop health programs such as health workshops, seminars and health campaigns to build on the existing knowledge about the dangers of self-medication with the aim of discourage self-medication practices among undergraduates furthermore, Healthcare facilities should be made available and accessible to students of the university community to reduce their indulgence in self-medication practices.
