The relationship between self-medication use and health belief model

Health protection, one of the only and old concerns of humanity, is affected by various factors. For this reason, self-medication use, which is defined as the intake of drugs without a prescription or recommendation during the diagnosis and treatment process of the physician, is one of the most common health issues seen worldwide. The health belief model, which affects the decision and motivation of society and individuals to develop a certain behavior, focuses on the adoption of actions to prevent health-threatening situations. In this thesis, it is aimed to measure the relationship between self-medication use of individuals and the health belief model as well as sub-dimensions of health belief model. In the study, it is targeted to reveal whether the sociodemographic characteristics of individuals are effective on self-medication and health belief model, and to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and behavior levels of the participants about selfmedication in the framework of the health belief model. The research was carried out on 384 individuals living in the province of Sakarya. As a data collection tool in the study, Selfmedication Use Questionnaire developed by Koç (2017) to measure self-medication use; The Health Belief Model for Drug Use Scale developed by chick (2012) and a questionnaire form including the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants were used. Descriptive statistical methods, independent samples t test, one-way variant (ANOVA) analysis, correlation and regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data. The data were analyzed at 95% confidence interval. According to the findings obtained; The highest mean benefit perception in the health belief model (4.27±0.737) and the lowest mean in the caring (3.68±0.914) dimensions were observed. Participants' education and occupational status made a significant difference in self-medication use levels. There is a statistically positive, significant, and low-level relationship between self-medication and the sub-dimensions of the health belief model, such as sensitivity, caring / severity perception, health motivation, benefit perception, and self-efficacy. A significant relationship was not observed in the perception of barrier. It was found that there is a statistically significant and low-level relationship between self-medication and health belief model about drug use. In addition, self-medication has a significant effect on the health belief model and its sub-dimensions, sensitivity, caring, health motivation, benefit, and self-efficacy perceptions. As a result, increasing perceptions of sensitivity, caring, health motivation, benefit, and self-efficacy among the components of health belief model decreases self-medication performance. For this reason, it is recommended to design and implement training programs that aim to increase the awareness of individuals to change their knowledge and beliefs about selfmedication and include all segments of the society.