Assessments of Students' Numeracy Knowledge Levels in Health Literacy and Their Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior Regarding Antibiotic Use

Abstract

Objectives: Rational antibiotic use, which is examined under the heading of rational drug use, draws an important road map in the prevention of antibiotic resistance development, which is a global problem that threatens future generations. It was aimed to evaluate the factors that determine the antibiotic use behaviors of students and the level of numeracy knowledge in health literacy, which is effective in reducing unnecessary or incorrect antibiotic use.
 Methods: In the study, in which 212 students voluntarily participated, a questionnaire consisting of questions was used, in which socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to antibiotic use were examined, as well as the level of numerical knowledge in health literacy.
 Results: It was found that the average age of participants was 20.33±2.50, and 53.8% were females. It was determined that 77.4% of the participants preferred to go to the doctor when they had any health problems, and the most common reason for using antibiotics was fever (51.4%). The answer given for the "disease that requires antibiotic use" question was bacterial infections with 64.6%. Participants' numeracy level in health literacy was questioned with six different questions, and their average score was determined to 8.1±2.0. It was determined that the highest numeracy knowledge level score among the departments belonged to the students of the anesthesia and first and emergency departments. Moreover, it was found that the numeracy knowledge level score in health literacy for females was higher than that of males.
 Conclusion: It has been determined that students studying in health sciences have sufficient knowledge about rational antibiotic use and numeracy, but they do not have an excellent level of knowledge yet despite being health students. It is believed that the regulation of the " rational antibiotic use" course, which is included in the education curriculum, will be effective in solving this problem.