Why Self-Medication Feels Normal and How We Can Change It | Norms Lab Podcast Episode 23 | AWALC

Описание: When most Nigerians fall sick, their first stop isn’t the clinic, it’s the chemist, a neighbour, or a home remedy. It feels normal, even responsible. But this “normal” comes with serious consequences.

In 2021 alone, over 50,000 Nigerians died directly from drug resistance, and 47% of adults self-medicated with antibiotics without prescriptions. Behind these numbers are invisible forces, social norms that shape how we make health decisions:

“Everyone I know goes to the chemist first.”
“My family expects me to try herbs before going to the clinic.”
“PHCs don’t have drugs, so I’d rather ask my neighbour or pastor.”

This episode dives deep into how these norms influence trust, delay care, and endanger lives, and how communities can rewrite these habits to make safe choices the normal ones.

Join the conversation to learn practical ways we can all shift harmful norms for better health outcomes.

🎧 Listen to Episode 23 now: “Norms & Health-Seeking Behaviour.”

Let’s challenge the habits that put our health at risk, and rebuild trust in our health system, one conversation at a time.

----
Contents of this video:

00:00 - Norms Lab is Back!
00:30 - What Do You Do When You Feel Sick?
01:02 - Why Do We Delay Hospital Visits?
01:44 - Meet Dr. Mercy
02:16 - “We Don’t Go to Hospitals Because…”
03:40 - Gender, Culture & the ‘Strong Person’ Myth
05:25 - The Kano Story: When Self-Medication Goes Wrong
06:10 - The Cost of Convenience: Risks of Self-Medication
07:36 - Over-the-Counter Culture: Why It’s So Common
08:10 - “I Just Know It’s Malaria!”: Testing Norms in Nigeria
09:06 - Building Trust in Healthcare
10:30 - Shifting Norms, Making Healthier Choices
12:00 - Key Takeaways & Final Reflections
19:45 - Stay Tuned for More from Norms Lab
-----
#NormsLabPodcast #UHC #HealthBehaviours #BehaviourChange #SocialNorms #HealthEquity #AWALC #LearningCollaborative #SelfMedication #Medicine #socialnorms #patientsupport #LCs #podcast #healthcareprofessionals #healthcare #PublicHealth #healthsystems