Survey of medication knowledge and behaviors among college students in Taiwan

Objectives. To survey the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards safe medication use of first-year college students in Taiwan. Methods. One hundred forty-seven departments in 27 universities were sampled by stratified randomization. Three sections of the questionnaire were developed, including 10 true/false questions to measure knowledge, 4 questions for attitude in a 5-point scale, and 10 questions for practice in a 5-point scale. Results. A total of 6270 subjects completed the survey instrument for a valid response rate of 91.9%. Students who were health science majors had safer medication practices than non-health science majors. However, students in both groups had low scores on appropriate antibiotics use, with a correctness rate of 45.8%. Knowledge relating to antacid use had the lowest number of correct responses among the 10 items included in the survey. Overall, the students showed positive attitudes toward (12.6 ± 2.2) and trusted (3.6 ± 0.7) pharmacists' consultation. Conclusions. College students lack appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to the safe use of medications, and efforts are warranted in Taiwan.