The Prevalence of Self-Medication and Its Associated Factors Among the Residents of Kandahar, Afghanistan

Abstract Background The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-medication as taking medicine by someone to treat a health problem on their own, without a professional or doctor consultation. Self-medication is a growing public health concern globally, including in Afghanistan. This study aims to assess the prevalence of self-medication and its associated factors among the residents of Kandahar city. Methodology An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 districts of Kandahar city. A total of 401 adults were randomly selected and interviewed at private pharmacies using a structured questionnaire. Data collection was done from June 22 to July 17, 2025. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 26, with descriptive and analytical analyses, considering a p -value below 0.05 as statistically significant. Results A high prevalence (71.1%) of self-medication was observed among the residents of Kandahar. More than one type of medication was used by 47.1% participants, with paracetamol being the second most commonly used (18%). More than half (54.1%) of medicines were used for multiple symptoms. The specific reasons for self-medication were high doctor fees (18.5%) and previous experience with similar symptoms (13.7%). Pharmacies were identified as the primary source of self-medication (69.8%). Statistically significant factors associated with self-medication were found to be lack of awareness about self-medication ( p -value = 0.003), easy access to pharmacies ( p -value =