PREVALENCE AND USE PATTERN OF ANALGESIC USE AMONG STUDENTS OF NIGER DELTA UNIVERSITY, AMASSOMA, BAYELSA STATE

*Peter A. Owonaro, Hida Faithful Kpun, Mieye Favour Orunchukwu, Chima Ifeanyi E. and Adebukola A. Sounyo

ABSTRACT

The mainstay of treatment of pains is the Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs). They are the most widely prescribed in the management of pain such as dental pain, post-surgery induced pain, and other forms of acute and chronic pains.
There has been widespread use of NSAIDs reported globally and in the Southern part of Nigeria. In a bid to understand the prevalence and use pattern of pain relievers, a quantitative cross-sectional survey was used to assess the prevalence and use pattern of 216 random students of different faculties in the university. An in-house questionnaire was developed and used to collect data, which was then analyzed by IBM SPSS version 27 and Microsoft Excel (version 2013), for descriptive statistics where mean, frequencies, p-values, and chi-squared tests were obtained respectively. The findings revealed the participants to be more single males (58.33%) between the ages of 18 and 30 years (86.11%).
Five questions assessed the prevalence and use pattern of pain relievers. The majority of respondents were male (58.33%), single (83.33%), and between 18-30 years old (86.11%). Most respondents (67.20%) reported having good knowledge about the pain relievers they used. Hospital pharmacies (77.78%), community pharmacies (50%), and chemists (58.33%) were observed to be the most common sources of pain relievers. Respondents spent between N100 to N500 monthly on pain relievers (47.22%), which were not always prescribed for them (72.22%). The results show that Diclofenac Potassium, Acetaminophen, Aspirin, Meloxicam, and Magnesium salicylate were the most commonly used pain relievers, with 51.85% using them sometimes and 50.93% finding them effective. However, respondents also experienced side effects like heartburn, stomach pain, and chest pain, with 50.40% seeking medical attention when experiencing side effects. The study revealed that there is no significant relationship or association between pain reliever use and gender. This was similar to the side effects reported. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the pattern of NSAID use and student academic level (Χ2 = 84.02, df = 6. P≤0.0001). Primarily relies on self-reported data from students, which may be subject to bias and inaccuracy: the small sample size may not be representative of the entire population; the study only includes students from one university, which may not be generalizable to other universities and there is potential for recall bias amongst students on pain reliever use and frequency. Healthcare providers should prioritize patient education and awareness of pain reliever-related side effects; prescribing guidelines and patient education programs should be developed and implemented to promote appropriate use of pain relievers; regulatory agencies should consider implementing stricter guidelines for the use and marketing of pain relievers.

Keywords:

NSAIDs, students, Niger Delta, Pain reliever and Bayelsa State.

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