Self-medication before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Türkiye: evidence from national health surveys.

Publication date: Jul 03, 2026

Sociodemographic characteristics, health status, and access to health care are important determinants of health behaviors and may shift during periods of health system disruption such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine whether these determinants were associated with self-medication and whether the prevalence of self-medication changed in TcFCrkiye before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study used data from the TcFCrkiye Health Survey conducted in 2019 (n = 16,253) and 2022 (n = 21,444), which was designed to provide national-level estimates for TcFCrkiye. Descriptive analyses and chi-square tests were used to compare the prevalence of self-medication across survey periods. Multivariable modified Poisson regression models with robust variance were estimated separately for the pre-COVID-19 and during-COVID-19 periods to identify factors associated with self-medication and to estimate adjusted prevalence ratios (aPRs) with 95% confidence intervals. To assess whether associations differed between the two periods, pooled modified Poisson regression models were constructed including an indicator for survey period and interaction terms between the COVID-19 period and selected determinants. The statistical significance of interaction effects was evaluated using global Wald chi-squared tests. The prevalence of self-medication increased significantly from the pre-COVID-19 period (34. 9%) to the during-COVID-19 period (38. 8%) (p 

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