Analgesic self-medication among university students and staff in Thailand: Prevalence and factors associated with inappropriate use

Self-medication with analgesics is a global public health concern, yet knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral patterns in university populations remain undercharacterized. This cross-sectional study surveyed 423 university students and staff in Thailand using a self-administered questionnaire. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with inappropriate analgesic use. Inappropriate analgesic use was identified in 79.7% of participants, with analgesic sharing (71.2%), concurrent multi-analgesic use (23.6%), and dose escalation (16.1%) as the most prevalent behaviors. More appropriate attitudes were associated with lower odds of inappropriate analgesic use (aOR 0.919, 95% CI 0.871–0.970), whereas recent analgesic use was associated with higher odds (aOR 2.889, 95% CI 1.485–5.620). Knowledge score was not associated with inappropriate-use classification. Inappropriate analgesic-use behaviors were common and were dominated by medication sharing. Educational strategies focusing solely on factual knowledge may be insufficient, and future medication-safety interventions could address attitudes toward safe use of medications.