Insights from a Cross-Sectional Study on Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Concerning Antibiotic Use in a Large Metropolitan Area: Implications for Public Health and Policy Interventions

Abstract

The overuse and inappropriate use of antibiotics pose a grave threat to public health, contributing significantly to the accelerated development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and increased rates of morbidity and mortality, making it a leading cause of death globally. To examine the relationship between demographic variables and knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning antibiotic use, a survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1158 individuals. The questionnaire included two sections: in the first section, participants’ socio-demographic characteristics were analyzed; the second investigated knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors concerning antibiotics utilization using a total of 36 questions. Descriptive statistics were used, and then a multiple linear regression analysis (MLRA) using three models was carried out. In Model I, knowledge about antibiotics exhibited correlations with smoking habits and educational attainment. In Model II, attitudes were significantly associated with gender, smoking habits, age, education, relationship status, and knowledge. In Model III, behaviors related to antibiotics were correlated with educational attainment, having children, knowledge, and attitudes. Implementing tailored public health programs could be a cost-effective intervention to enhance behaviors associated with antibiotic use in the general population. This study offers valuable insights into the determinants of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding antibiotics in the general population.

Antibiotic Use in Communities

“…Statistics show a vast geographical variation in community antibiotic use, even within European countries [4]. The studies included in this is Special Issue represent an impressive sample of nationalities and countries, including Americans [6], Cypriots (Greek and Turkish) [7], Dutch [8], Germans [9], Greeks [10], Italians [11], Syrians [12], Thai [13], and Turks [10]. Since antibiotic use and, consequently, antimicrobial resistance vary significantly between cultures and communities, it is essential to investigate the reasons behind excessive antibiotic use in as many countries and cultures as possible.…”

“…Seven of the studies included in the present Special Issue investigated antibiotic use in medicine, while one study analysed data on antibiotic prescriptions in primary dental care in Germany from 2017 to 2021 [9]. Six of the studies employed a cross-sectional survey about antibiotic use, attitudes to and knowledge about antibiotics, and antimicrobial resistance [6,7,[10][11][12][13], while one study collected data with qualitative focus group interviews [8]. All these distinctive methods have the potential to reveal different aspects of antibiotic use.…”

“…Lajunen et al [10], Niyomyart et al [13], Peinnino et al [11], and Sullman et al [7] studied antibiotic use and knowledge using a structured cross-sectional survey among the majority population. These studies show that knowledge about antibiotic effectiveness varies among countries but is generally rather low.…”

“…Among Greek and Turkish Cypriots, these figures were 41.9% and 75.0%, respectively [7]. In Italy, only 46.20% knew that antibiotics are ineffective against viruses [11]. These studies investigated various factors related to the misuse of antibiotics.…”

“…These studies investigated various factors related to the misuse of antibiotics. A general finding seems to be that background factors like education level and having children are related to antibiotic use [11,13], and that knowledge level and attitudes are strong predictors of using antibiotics correctly [7,10,11,13]. Obviously, educational campaigns about correct antibiotic use and the risks of antibiotic resistance are needed.…”