Simegnew Handebo, Rachana Sharma, Tesfaye Simireta, Hailemariam Addissie, Getnet Bayih Endalew, Eshetu Girma, Kenzudin Assfa Mossa
Social and behavior change communication competency among front-line healthcare system actors in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
BMC public health
nasal decongestants like phenylephrine pseudoephedrine commonly used relieve nasal obstruction conditions allergic rhinitis induce nasal passage dilation vasoconstriction lead serious side effects like hypertension rebound congestion despite easily accessible counter usage patterns awareness side effects well studied study aimed assess utilization pattern public knowledge nasal decongestants alqunfudah governorate saudi arabia 2023 observational crosssectional study assessed utilization pattern nasal decongestants among 10 years age older resided alqunfudah governorate villages data collected three months june august 2023 using selfadministered survey disseminated among general population alqunfudah governorate different electronic platforms like twitter x corp san francisco ca united states snapchat snap inc santa monica ca united states rstudio version 430 used statistical analysis knowledge score showed nonnormal distribution shapirowilk test p value 0001 normally distributed qualitative variables factors related nasal decongestant use assessed using pearsons chisquared test fishers exact test applied 20 cells frequencies less 5 generalized linear regression model used assess independent predictors higher knowledge scores pvalue 005 indicated statistical significance based 410 responses nearly 77 n 314 participants ever used nasal decongestants total 118 314 376 used medications twice daily less five days 812 n 255 total 192 611 participants used nasal decongestants based physicians prescriptions respondents 129 n 53 332 n 136 correctly identified nasal mucosal ulceration nasal dryness adverse effects prolonged nasal decongestants use however 846 n 347 ignored contraindications 551 n 226 idea rebound congestion overall participants displayed moderate level knowledge regarding nasal decongestants median knowledge score 50 student beta 112 95ci 019 205 p 0019 female independently associated better knowledge scores beta 097 95ci 040 154 p 0001 ever used nasal decongestants beta 071 95 ci 007 134 p 0030 used three times day beta 105 95 ci 011 199 p 0029 higher knowledge scores twothirds 766 alqunfudah general population saudi arabia utilized nasal decongestants utilization pattern nasal decongestants highlighted shortterm usage nasal obstruction despite moderate level knowledge general population nasal decongestants many gaps noted regarding systemic contraindications side effects risks rebound congestion focus group discussion advised get full deep perception public regarding common type medication health education programs recommended regarding category medications warning ineffective selfmedication