Self Medication Factors in Bangladesh

This dataset contains responses from a cross-sectional survey conducted in Bangladesh to investigate self-medication behaviors, socio-demographic characteristics, and influencing factors among the general population. A total of 438 anonymized responses were collected through a structured questionnaire, covering demographic details, healthcare accessibility, common illnesses, frequency and reasons for self-medication, sources of drug information, and perceptions regarding over-the-counter (OTC) medications.

The dataset can be used for public health research, socio-behavioral analysis, and predictive modeling to identify risk factors and patterns of self-medication. It is suitable for applications in machine learning, epidemiology, and policy-making.

Data Fields Include:

-Demographic Information: Age, gender, religion, marital status, occupation, educational status, monthly family income

-Healthcare Access: Distance to nearest hospital, availability of transport

-Health Behavior: Frequency of self-medication, conditions treated, action taken if ineffective, awareness of medicine safety

-Knowledge Sources: Friends/family, pharmacy, internet, media

Attitudes: Perception of OTC medication safety, opinion on self-medication

Outcome Measures: Side effects experienced, relief status after self-medication

Data Collection Period: June 2024

File Format: Excel (.xlsx) — can be exported to .csv

License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) — Free to share and adapt with proper attribution.

Potential Uses:

-Public health trend analysis in low- and middle-income countries

-Identification of demographic groups with higher self-medication prevalence

-Development of predictive models for healthcare intervention targeting

-Policy formulation regarding OTC drug sales and awareness campaigns

Ethics Statement:
All responses were collected anonymously with informed consent from participants. No personally identifiable information is included.