Irrational use of antibiotics among university students

doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2004.12.001

Journal of Infection

Volume 51, Issue 2, August 2005, Pages 135-139

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2004.12.001 Get rights and content

Abstract

Study objective

The aim of the presented study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of antibiotic usage in the student groups of a University in a country where the antibiotics are taken without prescriptions.

Design

Out of 5345 students (excluding those from the Faculty of Medicine) of Ege University, 678 were chosen by systematic sampling methods. The sampling group was divided into two groups. Group A included students from the Faculties of Pharmacy and Dentistry and Group B was composed of students of all other faculties. A questionnaire was used.

Main results

The mean age was 21.0±3.0 and 58% were females. The aim of antibiotic use for common cold was 83.1% (P>0.05) and, to decrease fever was 32.1% (P<0.05) in both Groups. In Group A 36.1% and in Group B 44.9% of the respondents started antibiotics by themselves when they were ill (P>0.05) although 89.1% of both groups agree that antibiotics should be started with doctors' prescription. During their last infection in Group A 11.7% and in Group B 27.3% of the respondents used the same antibiotic as previously prescribed by their doctors and the use of antibiotics as advised by the doctors during their last infection was 50.8% in Group A and 35.3% in Group B.

Conclusions

The use of antibiotics are found to be irrational among university students. National education programmes about the dangers of irrational antibiotic use and restriction of antibiotics without prescriptions should be the priority. This study indicated that knowledge regarding antibiotics cannot be evaluated alone since it did not always correlate with behaviour.

Introduction

Anti-microbial resistance is a rapidly increasing worldwide problem. Irrational use of antibiotics is the major determinant in the development of resistance. Many factors such as economics, politics, doctors' knowledge and experience, diagnostic uncertainty, and pharmaceutical marketing lead to irrational use of antibiotics. Numerous studies of adults have shown that patients' expectations or physicians' perceptions of those expectations affect the physicians' prescribing behaviour.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Educational interventions directed at patients and clinicians can increase patients' knowledge and awareness and can also reduce the frequency of inappropriate antibiotic prescription by clinicians.7, 8 The other factor for irrational antibiotic use is the sale of antibiotics without prescription. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the current knowledge, attitude, and behaviour regarding antibiotic use among the students of a University. We also attempt to determine self medication with antibiotics in this population group.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

The study was planned as a cross-sectional analytic study on students of Ege University except those from the Faculty of Medicine. Out of 5345 students, 672 were chosen using systematic sampling methods to constitute a group with 95% confidence interval and 5% alpha value. The sampling group was divided into two groups; Group A was made up of students from the Faculty of Dentistry and Pharmacy and Group B was formed of students from the Faculties of Letters, Education, Science, Communication,

Results

The mean age of the sampling group was 21.0±3.0 and 58% were females. The questionnaire and the answers given to the questions about knowledge, attitude and behaviour by the two groups are summarized in Table 1, Table 2. The frequency of antibiotic use was once in 2–3 years in 28.3%, once in a year in 28.8%, two to three times a year in 29.4% and more than three times per year in 13.6%. In Group A 96.7% and in Group B 98.0% of the students said that they think frequent and inappropriate

Discussion

In many areas of the world irrational use of antibiotics is a general problem. In this study 83.1% of the respondents both in Group A and in Group B believed that antibiotics could be used for the treatment of common cold when the aim of antibiotic use was questioned. It is argued that many people do not understand the differences between bacteria and viruses and believe that antibiotics are effective against both.⁹ Eng et al.¹⁰ found that more than one fourth of the respondents believed that

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View full text

Irrational use of antibiotics among university students

Abstract

Study objective

Design

Main results

Conclusions

Introduction

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Results

Discussion

Current attitudes regarding use of antimicrobial agents: results from physician's and parents' focus group discussions

Clin Pediatr

Antibiotic prescribing for adults with colds, upper respiratory tract infections, and bronchitis by ambulatory care physicians

JAMA

Parents, physicians, and antibiotic use

Pediatrics

Prescribing behaviour in clinical practice: patients' expectations and doctors' perceptions of patients' expectations—a questionnaire study

BMJ

Antibiotics and respiratory infections: are patients more satisfied when expectations are met?

J Fam Pract

Excessive use of antibiotics in the community associated with delayed admission and masked diagnosis of infectious diseases

J Microbiol Immunol Infect

Consumer attitudes and use of antibiotics

Emerg Infect Dis