{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T07:02:44Z","timestamp":1774940564438,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1774915200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Public health concerns about self-medication (SM) are growing worldwide. SM can manage minor ailments, reduce healthcare system burdens, and empower patients to manage their health, but it is crucial to understand the potential risks and consequences associated with improper use. Its misuse is also dangerous. This study seeks to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning SM among the general population in the central region of Saudi Arabia.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study utilized questionnaires to gather data. The distribution started on 6 June 2025 and ended on 11 December 2025.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The questionnaire was completed by 384 people. Females had slightly higher knowledge Median\u202f=\u202f2.50, IQR\u202f=\u202f2.17\u20132.67 and 40\u201350-year-olds had the highest knowledge. The most common reason for SM was headache (336; 87.5%), followed by cold and flu (315; 82.0%) and fever (283; 73.7%). Stomach-ache (221; 57.6%), insomnia (184; 47.9%), and menstrual symptoms were moderately common. The most common was minor illness (329; 85.7%), indicating that 9SM is acceptable for simple, self-limiting health issues. Over half of participants cited lack of time to see a doctor (210; 54.7%) and pharmacological knowledge (208; 54.2%) as motivators. Personal experience (324; 84.4%) was the most influential factor, indicating that people SM based on their knowledge of previous illnesses and treatments. Family members\u2019 opinions had a significant impact (272; 70.8%), reflecting family dynamics and social support in the cultural context.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The findings indicate that SM is a common health behavior, largely associated with perceptions of minor illness, convenience, prior personal experience, and social influences. No statistically significant differences were observed across several demographic comparisons in knowledge and attitude scores. These findings should be interpreted cautiously, particularly given the absence of multivariable analysis and the overrepresentation of younger adults and university graduates in the sample.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1802800","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]],"date-time":"2026-03-31T05:31:57Z","timestamp":1774935117000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Knowledge, attitude, and practice of self-medication among adults in the central region of Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Rawand J.","family":"Aldali","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Chemistry, University of Bristol","place":["Bristol, United Kingdom"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Emadeldin M.","family":"Elsokkary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Psychology, College of Social Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU)","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Huda B.","family":"Almousa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yousef H.","family":"Alzahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Medicine, King Saud University","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Haneen E.","family":"Elsokkary","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Horus University in Egypt (HUE)","place":["New Damietta, Egypt"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jehad A.","family":"Aldali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU)","place":["Riyadh, Saudi Arabia"]}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,31]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1027","DOI":"10.2165\/00002018-200124140-00002","article-title":"Benefits and risks of self medication","volume":"24","author":"Hughes","year":"2001","journal-title":"Drug Saf"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"315","DOI":"10.2174\/157488610792245966","article-title":"Risks of self-medication practices","volume":"5","author":"Ruiz","year":"2010","journal-title":"Curr Drug Saf"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.4103\/0976-0105.128253","article-title":"Self-medication: a current challenge","volume":"5","author":"Bennadi","year":"2013","journal-title":"J Basic Clinical Pharm"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"545","DOI":"10.1590\/S0102-311X2005000200021","article-title":"A population-based study on use of medications by elderly Brazilians: the Bambu\u00ed health and aging study (BHAS)","volume":"21","author":"Loyola Filho","year":"2005","journal-title":"Cad Saude Publica"},{"key":"ref5","volume-title":"Access to Medicines Publications in Developing Countries: A Bibliometric Study and its Implications for the Access to Medicines Research Network","author":"Ritz","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"40","DOI":"10.4103\/0253-7613.13856","article-title":"Self-medication among urban population of Jammu city","volume":"37","author":"Sharma","year":"2005","journal-title":"Indian J Pharmacol"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e114644","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0114644","article-title":"Self-medication practices and risk factors for self-medication among medical students in Belgrade, Serbia","volume":"9","author":"Lukovic","year":"2014","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"328","DOI":"10.15537\/smj.2015.3.10523","article-title":"Self-medication in Central Saudi Arabia: community pharmacy consumers\u2019 perspectives","volume":"36","author":"Aljadhey","year":"2015","journal-title":"Saudi Med J"},{"key":"ref9","first-page":"277","article-title":"The antibiotic resistance crisis: part 1: causes and threats","volume":"40","author":"Ventola","year":"2015","journal-title":"Pharmacy Therapeutics"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"943","DOI":"10.47391\/jpma.1331","article-title":"An overview of self-medication: a major cause of antibiotic resistance and a threat to global public health. 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