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Self-Medication Practices with Antibiotics among Tertiary Level Students in Accra, Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study
Open accessAbstract
The study was carried out to estimate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics among tertiary level students in Accra (Ghana) and evaluate factors associated with the practice. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study and involved face-to-face interviews of 600 respondents selected by convenient sampling. Prevalence of self medication was 70% (95% CI: 66.3-73.7), and the practice was significantly lower among medically inclined students (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.1-0.4, p < 0.001). Among the respondents who practiced self medication, the most common frequency of antibiotic usage was at intervals of one month (30%, 95% CI: 25.6-34.4%), and the most common antibiotic used was amoxacillin (23.9%, 95% CI: 21.0-26.8%). Treatment failure were reported by 35% (95% CI: 30.5-39.6%) of the respondents, and the main reasons cited for self medication were that, it was less expensive compared to medical care in the hospital and secondly, medical care in hospitals were associated with long delays. Forty nine percent (95% CI: 44.2-53.8%) of the respondents had poor knowledge about the health implications of irrational use of antibiotics, and 46% (95% CI: 41.2-50.8%) did not comply with the completion of the full course of antibiotics. Self medication among tertiary students in Accra is an important public health problem and this may reflect the situation among tertiary students in the whole of Ghana.
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“In a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted by Donkor et al. in Ghana among tertiary students, 70% of participants reported SMAs [7].”
From Understanding Antimicrobial Self-Medication Practices in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India (2025) · cites this paper as [7]
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Cites
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Self-Medication among Pregnant Women Attending Manhyia Government Hospital
Agyei, K. G., Ansong, C. A., Agambire, R., & Agyei, F. B. (2022) · International Journal of Nursing and Health Care Research · doi:10.29011/2688-9501.101343
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SELF-MEDICATION PRACTICE AMONG BASRA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AT BAB AL-ZUBAIR CAMPUS
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“In Ghana, a study that specifically analyzed self-medication with antibiotics found a prevalence of 70% [10].”
Nyarko, E., Tchorly, F. S., Lartey, B., Chapman-Wardy, C., Ocran, E., & Boiquaye, P. A. (2026) · Discover Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12982-026-02324-z
“Despite the wealth of studies on factors influencing self-medication among university students globally [2, 9–14, 16, 20], including Ghana [15, 17, 18], few or no studies quantify health conditions driving self-medication in Ghana.”
InfluentialTettey, R., Tettey, P., Amprako, D. N., Egyir, B., Arko‐Mensah, J., Adzakpah, G., Addo, S. O., Oppong‐Kyekyeku, J., & Fobil, J. N. (2026) · Journal of Water and Health · doi:10.2166/wh.2026.272
Othman, A. A. A., Mohamed, Y. S. A., Khalifa, R. M. F., Elsaid, S. S., & Rashad, M. H. (2026) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-026-28986-7
“In Ghana, approximately 40% of university students reported self-medicating with antibiotics, often using leftover medications or requesting them from pharmacies without prescriptions [10].”
InfluentialWeber, L., Janssen, S., Richter, J., & Fischer, E. (2026) · Annals of Pharmacy Education Safety and Public Health Advocacy · doi:10.51847/9uaqck9csw
Adem, J. B., & Alhur, A. (2026) · PLOS Digital Health · doi:10.1371/journal.pdig.0001748
“Our finding aligns with those from previous research, showing 66% in Pakistan [53], 70% in Ghana [54], 71.7% in Nagpur, India [55], 72% among medical sciences students of Shiraz, [56,57], and 73.9% in Khartoum, Sudan [57].”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- Donkor, E. S., Tetteh-Quarcoo, P. B., Nartey, P., & Agyeman, I. O.
- Affiliations
- University of Ghana (GH)
- Department of Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Accra, Ghana
- Accra Technical University (GH)
- Corresponding author
- Donkor, Eric S.
- Venue
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2012-10-05
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 3519-3529
- ISSN
- 1660-4601 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3509469
- OpenAlex
- W1988985355
- Cited by
- 225
- References
- 44
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 29 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 21 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 5
- FWCI
- 11.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- self-medication, antibiotics, tertiary students, antibiotic misuse, amoxicillin, treatment failure, antibiotic course completion, inappropriate antibiotic use, medical students, health knowledge, Accra, Ghana
- MeSH terms
- Anti-Bacterial Agents, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Ghana, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Self Medication, Students, Universities
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