Public Health and Nutrition

Biography

Biography: Pongsom Luanghirun

Abstract

In Thailand, 67.2% of the population widely uses painkiller including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that may cause fatal side effects.The finding from the United States of America indicated that 12.1% took NSAIDs at least 3 times per week for more than 3 months (regular users). However, the data on NSAIDs used in Thailand is limited. The cross-sectional study was then designed to study the prevalence of NSAIDs used and also the associated factors using standardized questionnaire. The qualitative study was also conducted to assess factors involving the use of NSAIDs by interviewing two groups; regular used NSAIDs and non-regular used NSAIDs. In-depth interviewing with 3 groups: grocery stores, pharmacy stores, and public health centers was also conducted. Of 771 participants revealed that prevalence of NSAIDs used was 31.1% and prevalence of regularly use was 7.4%. Income, pain at elbows, pain at the hip and the thighs, and pain scores were the factors associated with the usage of the drug. The qualitative study indicated that factors involved in the usage of NSAIDs were drug effectiveness, access to the public health service, and consideration of benefits and risks of the drug. Despite the knowledge of risk and hazard, rural people were using NSAIDs widely indicated that they were unaware of the effect and problem of taking this sort of medication.