Antibiotics stewardship in Ghana: a cross-sectional study of public knowledge, attitudes, and practices

Abstract Background Antibiotic resistance is a major contributing factor to global morbidity and mortality and is associated with inappropriate medication use. However, the level of antibiotic consumption and knowledge about antibiotic resistance in Ghana is inadequately quantified. Our study identifies strategies for improved stewardship of antibiotics to prevent the proliferation of resistant pathogens by assessing the level of antibiotic knowledge, attitudes, and consumption behaviors by region, gender, age, and education in rural and urban Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 communities in the urban Greater Accra and rural Upper West regions of Ghana. A questionnaire survey was administered to 400 individuals aged 18 years and older in selected locations during September-October 2018 to gather data on individual knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. Multivariate analysis was used to investigate the association between demographic characteristics and knowledge, attitudes, and related behaviors. Results Over 30% (125/400) had not received a doctor’s prescription during their last illness. Seventy percent (278/400) had taken at least one antibiotic in the year prior to the survey. The top five frequently used antibiotics were Amoxicillin , Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid , Ampicillin , Ciprofloxacin , and Metronidazole . Women and older adults had higher knowledge compared to their respective counterparts (p<0.01). Furthermore, prudent antibiotic use was significantly more prevalent in women than men (p<0.05). Although no regional differences were found in overall knowledge, compared to urban residents, individuals residing in rural settings exhibited higher knowledge about the ineffectiveness of antibiotics for viruses like the cold and HIV/AIDS (p<0.001). Two hundred and fifty-two (63%) respondents were unaware of antibiotic resistance. There was generally a low level of self-efficacy among participants regarding their role in preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics. Conclusion Antibiotic knowledge, attitudes, and use varied significantly across demographics, suggesting a context-specific approach to developing effective community interventions.

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Antibiotics stewardship in Ghana: a cross-sectional study of public knowledge, attitudes, and practices among communities.

10.21203/rs.2.19809/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tamara Jimah ◽

Ama P. Fenny ◽

Oladele Ogunseitan

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Inappropriate Medication ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Antibiotic Consumption ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Individual Knowledge ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Abstract Background Antibiotic resistance is a major contributing factor to global morbidity and mortality and is associated with inappropriate medication use. However, the level of antibiotic consumption and knowledge about antibiotic resistance in Ghana is inadequately quantified. Our study identifies strategies for improved stewardship of antibiotics to prevent the proliferation of resistant pathogens by assessing the level of antibiotic knowledge, attitudes, and consumption behaviors by region, gender, age, and education in rural and urban Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 12 communities in the urban Greater Accra and rural Upper West regions of Ghana. A questionnaire survey was administered to 400 individuals aged 18 years and older in selected locations during September-October 2018 to collect data on individual knowledge, attitudes, and practices concerning antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. Multivariate analysis was used to investigate the association between demographic characteristics and knowledge, attitudes, and related behaviors. Results Over 30% (125/400) had not received a doctor’s prescription during their last illness. Seventy percent (278/400) had taken at least one antibiotic in the year prior to the survey. The top five frequently used antibiotics were Amoxicillin, Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, Ampicillin, Ciprofloxacin, and Metronidazole. Women and older adults had higher knowledge compared to their respective counterparts (p<0.01). Furthermore, prudent antibiotic use was significantly more prevalent in women than men (p<0.05). Although no regional differences were found in overall knowledge, compared to urban residents, individuals residing in rural settings exhibited higher knowledge about the ineffectiveness of antibiotics for viruses like the cold and HIV/AIDS (p<0.001). Two hundred and fifty-two (63%) respondents were unaware of antibiotic resistance. There was generally a low level of self-efficacy among participants regarding their role in preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics. Conclusion Antibiotic knowledge, attitudes, and use varied significantly across demographics, suggesting a context-specific approach to developing effective community interventions.

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Knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to antibiotic resistance among pharmacists: a cross-sectional study in the West Bank, Palestine

The Lancet ◽

10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30593-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 393 ◽

pp. S7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Diala Abu Al-Halawa ◽

Roudin Sarama ◽

Ziad Abdeen ◽

Radwan Qasrawi

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

West Bank ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

The West ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

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Parental Antibiotic Use in Urban and Peri-Urban Health Care Centers in Lima: A Cross-Sectional Study of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices

Clinical Medicine Insights Pediatrics ◽

10.1177/1179556519869338 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 13 ◽

pp. 117955651986933 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jose L Paredes ◽

Rafaella Navarro ◽

Maribel Riveros ◽

Veronica Picon ◽

Francisco Conde ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Urban Health ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Urban Health Care ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Health Care Centers ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

In pediatric patients, the antibiotic use is affected by parental beliefs and practices; especially in countries where it is possible to acquire them without prescription. This study aims to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and practices on antibiotic use among parents of children from urban and peri-urban health care centers in Lima. A cross-sectional study was performed at 1 urban and 2 peri-urban health care centers selected in Lima, Perú. Parents of children below the age of 3 years answered a knowledge-attitudes-practices-validated questionnaire about antibiotic use and were categorized as high, moderate, and low knowledge regarding antibiotics. We analyzed potential determinants for low knowledge and having medicated their children with unprescribed antibiotics using bivariate and multivariate analyses. A total of 224 parents were enrolled, and 8% were categorized as low knowledge. Half of the parents could not recognize that antibiotics cannot cure viral infections, 59.4% disagreed with “antibiotics speed up recovery from a cold,” and 53.2% stored antibiotics at home. Remarkably 23.5% of parents reported having medicated their children with antibiotics without prescription, which was associated with belonging to the peri-urban health care center, use of antibiotics by their children in the last 12 months, and having purchased antibiotics without physicians’ prescription. An alarming overuse of antibiotics without prescription was described among children below the age of 3 years. Educational interventions, addressing parental attitudes and practices, and health policies should be developed to limit inappropriate antibiotic use especially in peri-urban communities.

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Public knowledge, attitudes and practices related to antibiotic use and resistance in Singapore: a cross-sectional population survey

BMJ Open ◽

10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048157 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. e048157

Author(s):

Jane M Lim ◽

Minh Cam Duong ◽

Alex R Cook ◽

Li Yang Hsu ◽

Clarence C Tam

Keyword(s):

Antibiotic Resistance ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Action Plan ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Primary Care Doctor ◽

Public Knowledge ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

ObjectivesThe WHO’s Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) includes increasing overall public awareness of appropriate antibiotic use and resistance as a key priority area. We aimed to measure public knowledge, attitudes and practices of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in Singapore, as well as their healthcare-seeking behaviours relating to respiratory illnesses, providing baseline data against which to measure the progress of future interventions.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingThe general population in Singapore.ParticipantsBetween May and June 2019, we conducted a survey via an online panel in Singapore with 706 respondents.ResultsOur findings indicated common misconceptions surrounding antibiotic effectiveness and mechanisms of antibiotic resistance—most participants thought that resistance occurs when our bodies become resistant to antibiotics (62.5%) or when antibiotics become less powerful (48.5%). In multivariable analyses, better knowledge scores were associated with more favourable antibiotic attitudes (β=0.29; 95% CI 0.20 to 0.37). In addition, more favourable attitude scores were associated with lower odds of both expecting (OR: 0.84, 95% CI 0.72 to 0.99) and being prescribed antibiotics by a primary care doctor (OR: 0.76, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.90).ConclusionsThis study presents important information about population perceptions towards antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in Singapore. Results from this study emphasise the importance of effective public communication strategies to promote responsible antibiotic use locally and should be used to inform future implementation of programmes and activities as laid out in Singapore’s National Strategic Action Plan on AMR.

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Parental Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Regarding Antibiotic Use: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh

Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology ◽

10.1017/ice.2020.954 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. s342-s342

Author(s):

Golam Dostogir Harun ◽

Romel Haider ◽

Imdadul Haque ◽

Alauddin Chowdhury ◽

Saiful Islam

Keyword(s):

Low Income ◽

Parental Attitudes ◽

Parental Knowledge ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Attitudes And Practices ◽

Awareness Campaigns ◽

Knowledge Attitudes And Practices

Background: Antibiotics play a vital role in reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with common infectious among children aged <5 years. Objective: We assessed the parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding antibiotic use among a low-income urban population in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the parents of 516 low-income urban children aged <5 years in Bangladesh from February 2018 to April 2019. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and administrated to explore parental knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding antibiotic use. A logistic regression analysis and Spearman rank-order correlation was used to compare and evaluate possible associations regarding parental KAP on antibiotic use. Results: The mean age of the participants was 26.65 years (SD, 6.38) and average monthly income was US$195.00. Most respondents (437 of 516) were women. One-third of the participants had no formal education, and 64% had only 5 years of education. We categorized the knowledge, attitudes, and practice regarding antibiotic use into 3 categories: poor, moderate, and good. More than half (52%) of these parents had poor knowledge of antibiotic use, and 32% had moderate knowledge of antibiotic use. Overall, 55% of parental attitudes were moderate and 70% of antibiotic practices were moderate. However, only 16% respondents had good knowledge, 14% had good attitudes, and 14% had good practices regarding antibiotic use for their children. The study revealed that 41% of parents thought that their child could be treated with antibiotics without advice from a qualified doctor, and 71% of parents thought that a child with flu-like symptoms got better faster if antibiotics were used. Also, 54% thought that the antibiotics could be stopped as soon as the symptoms disappeared. In this study, only 40% of parents completed the full dose of antibiotics. Monthly family income (P = .005), father’s profession (P = .003), and parents’ education were significantly associated with antibiotic use to treat the child. Conclusions: Most participants’ knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding rational antibiotic usage was very poor. Awareness campaigns and implementation of education on how to purchase, use, and sell antibiotics is crucial to optimum the use of antibiotics in Bangladesh.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

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