Persuasive Communication: A Vehicle for Positive Change In Medication Misuse By University Undergraduates — An Exploratory Study

Stress levels escalating to significant proportions have been reported in university students, especially during tests and examination periods, hence the misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medications. The situation of medication misuse amongst university undergraduates in Nigeria is no exception, as found globally. Medication misuse is influenced by risk and promotive factors. Persuasive communication is a message intended to reinforce or change the responses of others and has been found relevant in behavioural health changes. It could be adopted to change medication misuse by university students. The study was done at the University of Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria. An exploratory, descriptive research design using one-on-one in-depth interviews to collect data from 20 respondents but with data saturation after the 12th participant. The respondents were selected using a purposive sampling method with defined inclusion and exclusion criteria for registered university undergraduates and academic and non-academic staff of the university. Data analysis was performed using Tesch’s Open Coding method. The study revealed the risk and promotive factors of medication misuse by university students during examination periods, family income, gender, peer influence, and ease of access to medications. The study advocates for the adoption of persuasive communication by the university management to communicate frequently the risks of medication misuse to positively impact students in taking appropriate initiative for their health. Persuasive communication to mitigate medication misuse by university students, including the positive use of the media and celebrities and increased sensitisation by the university management on the dangers of medication misuse, is discussed and recommended. This study contributes to effective public health information dissemination, discouraging medication misuse among university students. The limitations and recommendations of the study were discussed.