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The Influence of Advertisement on Self-Medication Research Proposal

By
Name
Course

A thesis submitted to the school of Economics, University name, of course, in partial fulfilled of
the requirements for the degree

Masters of Arts (Name)
Faculty of social Science
College of Arts and Social Science
Date

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The Influence of Advertisement on Self-Medication Research Proposal
Abstract
The concept of self-medication is a global issue that attracts much attention because it
can adversely impact people's health. It is a significant potential for adverse threats for people
across all age groups. In developing regions such as Africa, the practice of medicating one’s self
is a huge health problem. As noted in many studies, the utilization of drugs without the approval
of health care practitioners and other registered medics is increasing in Africa day by day. Most
people that practice self-care are naive of the safety and rational application of such medications
on their health. Besides, self-medication users also seem to overlook the extensive consequences
that non-prescribed drugs can pose in the long-term. The adverse effects of self-medication must
be emphasized to people and communities using advisements in efforts to curb them. Higher
usage of antibiotics without doctors or healthcare practitioners' awareness may result in missed
therapies, delays in treatments, and higher mortality rates, among other negative consequences.
This research proposal will deal with the rationale, risks, and prevention measures of possible
hazards related to self-medication. This proposal will examine the effects of advertisements on
self-medication in various African countries. It will use a meta-analysis approach to understand
the effect of ads on self-drug administration among Africans. The researcher will gather data
from the already done studies (secondary sources) in Africa on the effect of advisement in
influencing self-medication practices. Findings of the relationship between advertisement as well
as self-medication will be reported. Also, the research will establish if adverts as a factor
influence the possibility of Africans engaging in self-medication practices.

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Acknowledgments
I would like to appreciate my supervisor (give a name) for his/her direction through each
of this research proposal process. This work was possible with the support of my friends, family
members. I am especially grateful to those I had the pleasure to associate with during this
research proposal.

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1.0 Chapter One: Introduction
1.1 Study’s Background
An individual self-medicates if he or she uses drugs that have not been directed by a
doctor or healthcare practitioner. Thus, it is an act of administering medicines to one’s self
without a physician’s guidance, supervision, or opinion. It also includes the use of medications
such as herbal as well as chemical drugs (Asefzadeh, Barkhordari, & Moghadam, 2003). People
use this practice to select and consume drugs to treat perceived symptoms. According to Jafari,
Khatony, and Rahmani (2015), self-medication among people is one of the most significant
health concerns affecting both the developed and developing parts of the world today. They say
that it is a significant problem that can cause far-reaching effects on people's health. For them, it
adversely affects both the socio-health as well as economies of different nations globally. In
some developing countries, they argue that drugs are often available to people without proper
prescriptions and appropriate diagnoses to determine their suitability. They equally agree that
because of the affordable or lower cost of self-medication drugs, people consider it as an
excellent option for those that cannot afford the regular healthcare expenses. For Jafari, Khatony,
and Rahmani (2015), the affordability of these drugs explains why most people choose selfmedication in many of the developing nations, including Africa. In this sense, they suggest that
more than 60 percent of the health issues faced in these developing countries result from selfmedication practices. Kumari et al. (2012) also agreed that most people in third-world countries
often go for self-medication as an option to other medical services.
They proposed that people also chose self-medication because such drugs were readily
available. In their study in Sudan, Awad and Eltayeb (2007) found that 60-80 percent of students
decided to self-medicate as an alternative to medical services due to its accessibility. They also

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found that the self-administration of drugs among the students accounted for most of their health
problems. They advised that this behavior was harmful, and efforts were necessary for averting
associated effects. A study by Afolabi (2008) collected data from 205 women in Nigeria and
found that patient medication vendors were the common source of self-medication drugs and
information. They argued that even with the growing interest in self-medication in Africa, there
was little information about the significant causes or factors that contribute to this problem in
developing nations. They also argued that self-treatment stimulated people to handle major
diseases using simple and effective remedies. Individuals believe that drugs should be utilized
during sickness or any discomfort. While people said that they got drug information from
medicine dealers, they also agreed that they also depended on other sources for information
(Afolabi, 2008). However, Afolabi (2008) found a negative association between respondents'
sources of information through family members, advertisements, and experience from prior
illness. They discovered that adverts were not a significant factor in individuals' self-medication
decisions. The determined that knowledge, as well as community health awareness through
education, could help to sensitize people on the harmful effects of self-treatment.
In Egypt, a study by Helal and Abou-ElWafa (2017) evaluated this concept using sample
of university students. They found that it was a common trend in most of the developing
countries. In attempts to investigate the prevalence of this concept, they performed a descriptive
cross-sectional analysis and included first and fourth-year students as...