Attitude and Practice of Pregnant Women Regarding Self-medication in Yazd, Iran

Background: Medications, a main strategic commodity in any country, are strictly related to community health and sustainable development. Self-medication and irregular use of medications can increase their adverse effects. This study investigated the factors related to irregular and arbitrary use of medications in pregnant women admitted to health centers and clinics of Yazd, Iran, and their practice in this context. Methods: This was a descriptive- analytic cross-sectional study conducted among 180 pregnant women. Participants were selected by cluster sampling. We chose six health centers and clinics from all medical centers in Yazd by a simple random method. A questionnaire was completed by the pregnant women who were consecutively admitted to each center. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, t-test, Chi-square, and Pearson tests with SPSS-15 software. Results: More than 35% of the women self-medicated during pregnancy. Women with academic degrees scored higher in the knowledge section; however, this difference was not significant. The mean attitude scores for academic and nonacademic graduates were 34.92 (from 60) and 29.87, respectively while the mean practice scores were 15 (from 20) and 14.25 for academic and non-academic graduates, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study showed an increased prevalence of self-medication among pregnant women. Because of potential fetomaternal hazards related to medications, it is necessary to conduct educational programs to prevent this harmful habit and attitude in pregnant women.