*Co esponding au ho : Rajan Manandha .
Copy igh © 2025 Au ho (s) e ain he copy igh o his a icle. This a icle is published unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion Liscense 4.0.
Knowledge, a i ude and p ac ice o sel -medica ion o me enamic acid in
dysmeno hea among heal h science s uden s
Samjhana Tamang 1, Shi sha Upadhyaya 2, Susmi a Sapko a 3, Rajan Manandha 4, * and Jaya Bahadu Ghale 5
1 Depa men o Pha macy, All Nepal College o Technical Educa ion, Gaushala, Ka hmandu.
2 Depa men o Pha macy, Li le Buddha P abhidik Shikshalaya, Banneshwo , Ka hmandu.
3 Depa men o Pha macy, Asian College o Ad ance S udies, Lali pu .
4 Depa men o Pha macy, Ka hmandu Model Hospi al Ins i u e o Heal h Sciences, Bagbaza , Ka hmandu.
5 Depa men o Pha macy, Ka hmandu Mul iple College, Gaushala, Ka hmandu.
Wo ld Jou nal o Biology Pha macy and Heal h Sciences, 2025, 23(03), 435-449
Publica ion his o y: Recei ed on 16 Augus 2025; e ised on 23 Sep embe 2025; accep ed on 25 Sep embe 2025
A icle DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.30574/wjbphs.2025.23.3.0846
Abs ac
Backg ound: Sel -medica ion(SM) is widely p ac iced in de eloped and de eloping coun ies. SM is e y common
nowadays because i is accessible, cheap, apid and con enien solu ions. Sel -medica ion is an impo an public heal h
issue which may a ec child en and adolescen s. Inco ec diagnosis, imp ope dosage, d ug in e ac ion can be seen
due o SM. Dysmeno hea is he one o he mos common public heal h p oblems which may p oduce nega i e impac
on emale, heal h, school, wo k ac i i ies and psychological s a e. The p e alence o dysmeno hea can be ound in
be ween 48.4-84.2% o all ep oduc i e age women in di e en coun ies like US, Japan, India. Me enamic acid is
commonly used medica ion in dysmeno hea. Me enamic acid is non-s e oidal an i-in lamma o y d ug (NSAID) can be
used o he acu e ea men o pain. I is he an h anilic acid de i a i e class o NSAIDS.
Objec i e: To assess he knowledge, a i ude, and p ac ice o sel -medica ion o me enamic acid in dysmeno hea
among heal h science s uden s.
Me hodology: The desc ip i e c oss-sec ional s udy was conduc ed on 343 heal h science s uden s who we e
p ac icing sel -medica ion in dysmeno hea om May o July 2023 using sel - adminis e ed ques ionnai e.
Resul s and Conclusions: Ou o 343 pa icipan s, 55.70% o he esponden s ha e an adequa e knowledge o sel -
medica ion bu 44.30% ha e an inadequa e knowledge o sel -medica ion. 76.10 % o he esponden s a e doing co ec
p ac ice and 23.90% a e doing inco ec p ac ice. 64.4% ha e posi i e a i ude owa ds sel -medica ion in
dysmeno hea and 35.6% o he esponden s ha e nega i e a i ude owa ds sel -medica ion in dysmeno hea. The
s udy indings highligh need o awa e young emales ega ding sel -medica ion o p o ide knowledge o bene i s,
ad e se e ec s, and hei impac on heal h due o w ong use o medica ion.
Keywo ds: Sel - medica ion; Dysmeno hea; Me enamic Acid; Heal h science s uden s; NSAID
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1. In oduc ion
Acco ding o he WHO, Sel -medica ion is he selec ion and use o he d ugs o ea sel -diagnosed diso de s o he
in e mi en o con inued use o a p esc ibed d ug o ch onic o ecu en disease o symp oms. Sel -medica ion is
widely p ac iced in de eloped and de eloping coun ies. Sel -Medica ion is e y common nowadays because i is
accessible, cheap, apid and con enien solu ions [1]. Sel -medica ion is an impo an public heal h issue which may
a ec child en and adolescen s. Inco ec diagnosis, imp ope dosage, d ug in e ac ion can be seen due o SM. People
may no be awa e abou he wa ning, p ecau ion, s o age condi ion, shel li e and ad e se d ug eac ions which may
lead o an inc ease in he isk o side e ec s [4].
The lowe abdominal pain o pel ic pain which may be adia ing o he lowe back, legs and inne highs is known as
Dysmeno hea [5]. Dysmeno hea is he one o he mos common public heal h p oblems which may p oduce nega i e
impac on emale, heal h, school, wo k ac i i ies and psychological s a e [5]. The p e alence o dysmeno hea can be
ound in be ween 48.4-84.2% o all ep oduc i e age women in di e en coun ies like US, Japan, India. Dysmeno hea
can be classi ied in o wo ca ego ies. P ima y dysmeno hea and Seconda y dysmeno hea.
PD can be de ined as pain ul pe iod in women wi h no mal pel ic ana omy begins du ing adolescence and las s up o
ep oduc i e age [1]. P e alence o dysmeno hea was ound o be mo e han 50% women wi h se e e pain in 2% 29%
o women s udied. Wo ldwide, he p e alence o dysmeno hea can be ound be ween 48.4-84.2% among women o
ep oduc i e age [3]. I is a ec ing daily ac i i ies o women and qui e se e e in abou 10%. In con ex o Nepal, he
p e alence among medical s uden s was epo ed as high as 94%. 64.4% p ac ice sel -medica ion in dysmeno hea.14%
o 499 emale consume Me enamic acid globally [4]. 26% o 641 emales in India and 48%o 269 emales in Nepal
consume Me enamic acid wi hou p esc ip ion o wi hou consul ing heal hca e p o essionals [1, 17].
Knowledge, a i ude, and p ac ice o sel -medica ion o Me enamic acid dysmeno hea will be s udied and hei analysis
will be done o gi e he inal esul . P o iding awa eness abou sel -medica ion o Me enamic acid has also been a
challenging issue. One o he impo an easons o sel -medica ion o Me enamic acid is being unawa e o side e ec s o
seeking immedia e elie in se e e pain.
This s udy aims o ind he knowledge a i ude and p ac ice o me enamic acid among heal h science s uden s o
Pu banchal Uni e si y and CTEVT. Se e al s udies ha e epo ed ha SM s a s wi h onse o adolescence and inc eases
wi h age. The e o e, SM among he heal h science s uden s is an impo an opic in scien i ic esea ch.
The objec i e o he s udy is o assess he knowledge, a i ude, and p ac ice o sel -medica ion o me enamic acid in
dysmeno hea among heal h science s uden s.
1.1. Concep ual F amewo k
Figu e 1 Concep ual F amewo k
2. Me hodology
2.1. S udy Design
The desc ip i e c oss-sec ional s udy was conduc ed among heal h science s uden s who we e p ac icing sel -
medica ion in dysmeno hea.
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2.2. S udy A ea
This s udy was conduc ed among Heal h Science s uden s a Heal h Science Colleges a ilia ed o Pu banchal Uni e si y
and CTEVT a Ka hmandu Valley.
• Asian College o Ad ance S udies
• Shanka apu Academy
• Li le Buddha College o Heal h Science
• Kan ipu Academy o Heal h Science
Fou colleges we e selec ed by non-p obabili y con enien sampling me hod. . P ima y da a we e collec ed ia semi-
s uc u ed ques ionnai e o assess knowledge, a i ude and p ac ice o heal h science s uden s owa ds sel -medica ion
o me enamic acid in dysmeno hea.
2.3. Du a ion o S udy
6 mon hs
2.4. S udy Va iables
2.4.1. Independen Va iables:
• Age
• Ma i al s a us
• Facul y
• Mena che Age
2.4.2 Dependen Va iables
• Knowledge
• P ac ice
• A i ude
2.5. S udy Popula ion
2.5.1. Inclusion C i e ia
• Female s uden s o age g oup 18 yea s and abo e
• S uden s wi h Dysmeno hea.
• Females who we e p ac icing sel -medica ion in dysmeno hea.
2.5.2. Exclusion C i e ia
• S uden s who we e below 18 yea s.
• S uden s o he han Heal h Science S uden s.
• S uden s who we e no willing o pa icipa e.
2.6. Sample Size and Sample echniques
The sample size was calcula ed by using c oss sec ional o mula o ini e popula ion.
n =Zα2 pq/ E2
Whe e,
n= equi ed sample size
Zα= s a is ics o a le el o con idence (66.3% a 95% con idence in e al)
p = p e alence = 0.663
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q = 1-p = 1-0.663 = 0.337
E = ma gin o e o = 5% = 0.05
A 95% con idence in e al,
1-α = 0.95
α= 0.05
Zα = Z 0.05 = 1.96 ( om able)
Now. n = (1.96)2 (0.663*0.337) / (0.05) = 343
Hence, he sample size was 343. .
2.7. Da a Collec ion and Analysis
The ools used o da a collec ion was sel -adminis e ed ques ionnai e. The ques ionnai e was p epa ed by using
sui able li e a u es as e e ence and i con ained o 34 mul iple choice ques ions
• Da a en y and da a analysis was pe o med using SPSS.
• Fo desc ip i e analysis, con inuous da a was exp essed as Mean +S anda d de ia ion.
• F equencies and pe cen age we e calcula ed.
• Co ec answe s and “yes’’ we e sco ed as 1, while inco ec answe s and “no” we e sco ed as 0.
Median was calcula ed. Knowledge below median was de ined as inadequa e and knowledge equal o and abo e median
was de ined as adequa e knowledge.
A i ude was e alua ed using Like scale. S ongly ag ee -5, Ag ee-4, Neu al-3, Disag ee-2, S ongly disag ee-1. 17
Fo p ac ice also co ec answe s and “yes’’ we e sco ed as 1, while inco ec answe s and “no” we e sco ed as 0. Median
was calcula ed. P ac ice below median was de ined as inco ec p ac ice and p ac ice equal o and abo e median was
de ined as co ec p ac ice.
Fo in e en ial analysis, associa ion be ween he sociodemog aphic cha ac e is ics like age, ma i al s a us, eligion,
acul y, academic yea , e hnici y, age a which esponden s go hei i s pe iod and sel -medica ion o me enamic acid
in dysmeno hea was gene a ed by using Chi-squa e es o Fishe exac es (i n < 5).
A p alue less han 0.05 was conside ed as le el o signi icance.
2.8. E hical Conside a ion
E hical app o al was aken om IRC o Asian College o Ad ance S udies. Fo mal pe mission was aken om supe iso
and ad iso s. The collec ed in o ma ion was used o s udy pu pose only. The con iden iali y o in o ma ion was
main ained unless he e a e no legal issues.
2.9. Ope a ional De ini ion
Knowledge: - means heo e ical and p ac ical unde s anding o he subjec ma e .
• 3-6: - Adequa e Knowledge
• 7-11: - Inadequa e Knowledge
A i ude: - a p edisposi ion o a endency o espond posi i ely o nega i ely owa ds a ce ain idea, objec , pe son o
si ua ion.
• 14-19: - Nega i e A i ude
• 20-29: - Posi i e A i ude
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P ac ice: - Applica ion o knowledge o p ac ical app oach o he subjec ma e .
• 2-6: - Inco ec P ac ice
• 7-9: - Co ec P ac ice
3. Resul s
Age dis ibu ion o he s udy popula ion shows ha mos o he (60.3%) esponden s we e o age g oup 25-27, 29.4%
we e o age g oup 21-24 and 10.2% we e o age g oup 18-20. The mean age was ound o be 24.25± 2.18 (mean± SD).
Ma i al s a us dis ibu ion o esponden ’s shows majo i y o he esponden s we e unma ied (95%) and mino i y
(5%) we e ma ied.
3.1. Facul y dis ibu ion o he esponden s
Table 1 Facul y dis ibu ion o he esponden s
Facul y o Responden s
F equency ( )
Pe cen age (%)
Diploma in Pha macy
97
28.3
Bachelo in Pha macy
85
24.8
Bachelo in public heal h x
40
11.7
Nu sing
69
20.1
Heal h Assis an
21
6.1
O he s
31
9.0
3.2. Dis ibu ions o Age o Fi s Pe iod
Table 2 Dis ibu ion o Age o Fi s Pe iod
Mena che Age (Yea s)
F equency ( )
Pe cen age (%)
10-12
110
32.1
13-16
233
67.9
3.3. P ac ice o Responden s
Figu e 2 P ac ice o Medica ion
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3.4. Le el o Knowledge o sel -medica ion
Figu e 3 Knowledge o sel -medica ion
3.5. A i ude o Responden s
Figu e 4 A i ude o Responden s
3.6. Knowledge o sel -medica ion o Me enamic Acid
Table 3a Knowledge o sel -medica ion o Me enamic Acid
Ques ion
F equency ( )
NO
YES
Do you know abou sel -medica ion
44 (12.8 %)
299 (87.2%)
Do you know he co ec dose
210 (61.2%)
133 (38.8%)
Do you know he co ec equency and du a ion o d ug
194(56.6 %)
149 (43.4%)
Do you hink sel -medica ion is always ad an ageous
279 (81.3)
64 (18.70
Is me enamic acid sa e o consume
128(37.3 %)
215 (62.7%)
Does long e m use o me enamic acid esul in ad e se e ec
40 (11.7%)
303(88.3%)
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Does long e m use o me enamic acid esul in dependency
75(21.9%)
268 (78.1%)
Me enamic acid should be aken acco ding o ecommended dose
17(5.0 %)
326(95.0%)
You can inc ease and dec ease he dose as much as you wan
320 (93.3%)
23(6.7%)
You should s op aking medica ion as soon as you eel be e
114(33.2%)
229 (66.8%)
Among hose esponden s who hink sel -medica ion is always ad an ageous as pe Table 3, i.e. 64, why do hey ind i
ad an ageous was ques ioned wi h ollowing esul s
Table 3b Why o esponden s hink sel -medica ion is ad an ageous (among o al 64 esponden s)
Reason
F equency ( ) Pe cen age
Pe cen age (%)
Quick elie
45
70.3
Con enien use
10
10.9
Economical
2
3.1
Time sa ing
7
10.9
To al
64
100.0
Table 3c Knowledge abou use o me enamic acid
Use
F equency ( )
Pe cen age (%)
Dysmeno hea (pain ul pe iod)
329
95.9
Oligomeno hea (i egula pe iod)
6
1.7
Gas i is
7
2.0
Headache
1
0.3
3.7. A i ude owa ds sel -medica ion in dysmeno hea
Table 4 A i ude owa ds sel -medica ion in dysmeno hea
S.N
Ques ion
F equency ( )
S ongly
disag ee
Disag ee
Neu al
Ag ee
S ongly
Ag ee
1
You should ake medica ion o dysmeno hea
15
4.4 %
159
46.45
74
21.6 %
79
23.0%
16
4.7%
2
Medica ion always cu es he pain
9
2.6%
100
29.2%
54
15.7%
54
15.7%
16
4.7%
3
Taking medica ion wi hou consul ing
heal hca e p o essionals is igh
133
38.8%
187
54.5%
6
1.7%
10
2.9%
7
2.0%
4
Consequences o sel -medica ion may a ec
you heal h ad e sely
5
1.5%
16
4.7 %
16
4.7 %
202
58.9%
104
30.3%
5
Sel -medica ion o me enamic acid should be
con olled
0
28
8.2%
37
10.8%
219
63.8 5
59
17.2%
6
P ope dose should be aken by consul ing
heal hca e p o essionals
3
0.9%
4
1.2 %
5
1.5 %
152
44.3 %
179
52.2%
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3.8. P ac ice o Sel -medica ion
Figu e 5 Medicine used in dysmeno hea
Figu e 6 When does esponden consume medica ion?
Figu e 7 Numbe o Pills pe day
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Figu e 8 In e al o aking medica ion
Figu e 9 Time o aking medica ion
Figu e 10 Respond a e aking medica ion
