HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR AND HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG STUDENTS OF NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA
Ganiyu KA1*, Kpokiri EE1, 2, Dambo TW1
1Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
2Research Department of Practice and Policy, The School of Pharmacy, University College London, United kingdom
Afr. J Pharm Res Dev; Volume 9(2): 25-132; Nov/Dec 2017
ABSTRACT
Asides consideration of highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being, being healthy has been noted as the achievement of the peak of wealth in some quarters. This study assessed health seeking behavior, incidence of disease conditions, medication use, prevalence of self-medication, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among students of Niger Delta University. A pre-tested 3-part questionnaire incorporating questions on subjects’ demographics, health seeking behaviour and self-medication practice, including Short Form-12v2® for collection of HRQoL data (relative to the mid-point of a rating scale of 1 – 100) was administered to 400 students of the university using convenient sampling technique. Data generated were expressed in simple percentages, and estimated mean values compared using student t-test as appropriate. Categorical variables were compared using Fisher’s Exact test while level of significance at two tail test was set at p < 0.05. Majority (65.2%) of the students studied were aware of appropriate health seeking behaviour. Two hundred and thirty two (58.0%) of the cohort required the use of drugs in the preceding one month to the time of study out of which prevalence of self-medication practice was estimated to be 47.0%. Pain (34.6%), malaria (22.2%), and bacterial infections (11.1%) were the most frequently managed conditions while analgesics (37.1%), antibacterials (19.7%), and antimalarials (18.9%) were the commonly used medications. Mean scores for respondents’ physical and mental health status were 51.58 ± 7.39 and 47.99 ± 8.97 (p < 0.0001), respectively while average HRQoL score for all respondents was 49.79 ± 8.41 relative to the general population norm based score of 50 ± 10. Incidence of self-medication practice was high among the students surveyed despite high level of awareness of appropriate health seeking behaviour. Analgesics were the most used medications, pain been the most commonly treated condition. Respondents’ average physical health status score was higher than their mental health status’, and their overall HRQoL score was similar to the general population norm.
KEYWORDS: Health related quality of life; Health seeking behaviour, Niger Delta University, Self-medication
Corresponding author: pharmkenny@gmail.com;