PREFERRED S YSTEM OF MEDICIN E AND REASONS OF S ELF MEDICATION AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MALWA REGION OF PUNJAB

The objective of this study was to describe and examine the system of medicine used by college students, awareness, reasons behind self medication, drug information resources, danger findings and knowledge of drug profile. Samples of 3001 young students belonging to Malwa region of Punjab were randomly selected. An inclusion criterion was 16-30 years. A total of 40 students were excluded in accordance with the exclusion criteria like incomplete information. About 55.18% students had a positive trust in allopathic medicines, 58.91% students learn self medication from doctors prescriptions provided during their prior illness. 50.08 % students were aware about drug interaction. The results are based on feed backs which were provided by respondents included in study. The results show that percentage of self medication might change along with locality and region. The prevalence of self medication among college students in Malwa region of Punjab is high. This descriptive survey shows that medical students had good knowledge about appropriate self medication than non-medical students. A number of students consult parents, books, friends and advertisements for drug information