Assessment of Farmers’ Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices on Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Resistance

Abstract

Simple SummaryAntibiotic resistance is a global problem that threatens human and animal health and has increased in recent years. Although many factors are responsible for the development of resistance, antibiotics used in animals for preventive, therapeutic, and other purposes play a major role. Conscious and rational antibiotic use in animals will contribute to decreases in resistance. It is therefore important to determine knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of farmers working in the livestock sector with regard to antibiotic knowledge, use, and resistance in order to develop communication strategies accordingly. The aim of this study was to measure the knowledge of livestock farmers about antibiotics by conducting a questionnaire survey. As a result of the survey, it was found that knowledge of the participants on antibiotics and resistance was very low. It was concluded that periodic training programs can be employed to overcome this problem and raise awareness among farmers.AbstractThe aim of this study was to determine knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of farmers dealing with animal husbandry in eastern Turkey with regard to antibiotic knowledge, use, and resistance. A face to face questionnaire survey, consisting of five sections with 42 questions in total, was applied to 360 farmers located in the region. The questions in the first and fifth sections were closed-ended while those in other sections were prepared using the Likert scale. It was determined that knowledge of the farmers about antibiotic use, duration, storage, and resistance was well below desired levels. This was particularly remarkable in the participants with a low level of education, living in rural areas, and those at 48 years of age or over. In contrast, younger and highly educated participants living in urban areas were more knowledgeable about antibiotic use and they were well aware of the fact that resistance might pose a great risk for public health. Providing appropriate antibiotic use in animals through systematic training of livestock farmers is crucial in tackling the resistance problem.

Poultry Litter Contamination by Escherichia coli Resistant to Critically Important Antimicrobials for Human and Animal Use and Risk for Public Health in Cameroon

“…coli in this study includes the lack of training in poultry farming, the high frequency of digestive tract disease in farm and fewer experience in poultry farming. These observations were in line with the fact that the knowledge and farmer’s behaviour can significantly influence their decision to use antimicrobials and thus emergence of AMR in farm [ 43 , 44 ]. The high level of resistance obtained in this study is an indication that litter can serve as a reservoir for resistant genes and AMR organisms capable of being transmitted to humans even long after their extraction from farms.…”

Knowledge, attitude and practice of animal producers towards antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in Oromia zone, north eastern Ethiopia

“…In the present study, the majority (53.9%) of the animal producers had a trend of using prescriptions before purchasing antimicrobials. Comparable to our finding, 48% of turkey and rabbit farmers in Italy [ 26 ], 48% of the animal producers in Turkey [ 13 ], and the same proportion (48%) of the livestock producers in Vietnam [ 16 ] were seeking the advice of a veterinarian before using antimicrobials for any purpose of animal production. Somehow greater than our finding, 64% of the animal producers in Turkey [ 13 ] took advice from their colleagues and purchase antimicrobials without prescription.…”

“…Comparable to our finding, 48% of turkey and rabbit farmers in Italy [26], 48% of the animal producers in Turkey [13], and the same proportion (48%) of the livestock producers in Vietnam [16] were seeking the advice of a veterinarian before using antimicrobials for any purpose of animal production. Somehow greater than our finding, 64% of the animal producers in Turkey [13] took advice from their colleagues and purchase antimicrobials without prescription. As indicated by different studies [21,23], accessing antimicrobials without prescription and fragmented governance of AMU in animal production are the main drivers of AMR formation.…”

“…Out of the total participants (571) of this study, the majority (80.21%) of the animal producers were not knowledgeable about the AMU and AMR in animal production. Comparable with this finding, 70% of the livestock keepers in Ethiopia [ 12 ], 90% of the animal producers in Bingol, Turkey [ 13 ], 61.2% of layers and pig farmers in Thailand [ 14 ], 80% of animal producers in central Ethiopia [ 15 ], and 92.5% of livestock and aquaculture owners in Vietnam [ 16 ] were not aware of the proper AMU in animal production and had a poor understanding about the AMR formation.…”

Decision-Making of Swiss Farmers and the Role of the Veterinarian in Reducing Antimicrobial Use on Dairy Farms

“…Fischer et al ( 11 ) stated that to understand the decision-making process, “we need to understand not only farmers” behavior per se but also the underlying reasons and the context this behavior occurs in'. Therefore, the attitude toward a certain behavior as well as social pressure and the knowledge of a person play important roles in the actual execution of a behavior ( 8 , 12 , 13 ). Jansen et al ( 14 ) showed that if the attitude, knowledge, and behavior of dairy farmers toward a specific topic was changed (e.g., improved hygiene during the milking process) udder health was improved in the long term.…”