Abstract
The present study was conducted to assess the behavioral preventive measures and the use of medicines and herbal foods/products among the public in response to Covid-19. A cross-sectional survey was conducted from 27 June to 20 July 2020, and 1222 people participated. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to identify the differences in behavioral preventive practices across different demographic categories. To identify the factors associated with the use of preventive medicines and herbal foods/products, multivariable logistic regression was performed. Most participants adopted the recommended preventive practices such as washing hands more frequently (87.5%), staying home more often (85.5%), avoiding crowds (86%), and wearing masks (91.6%). About half of the smokers reported a decreased rate of smoking during the pandemic. Also, 14.8% and 57.6% of the participants took medicines and herbal foods/products as preventive measures against Covid-19. Arsenicum album and Zinc supplements were the most commonly used preventive medicines. Gender, age, and fear of Covid-19 were significantly associated with the use of both preventive medicines and herbal products. For the management of Covid-19 related symptoms, Paracetamols, Fexofenadine, and Zinc supplements were used most often. Most participants sought information from non-medical sources while using medicines and herbal products. Moreover, potentially inappropriate and unnecessary use of drugs were identified.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
None
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Antimicrobial Resistance Action Center (ARAC), Animal Health Research Division, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute (BLRI), Bangladesh (Approval no: ARAC:15/06/2020:03).
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
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Yes
Data Availability
All data collected, without personally identifiable information, is available upon request to the corresponding author