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. 2024 Dec 5;99(1):33.
doi: 10.1186/s42506-024-00176-6.

Pattern of antibiotic use among children caregivers: a cross-sectional study

Doaa S Ahmed  1 , Asmaa M AboElela  2 , Samar S Ismail  2 , Zeinab E Hammour  2 , Rasha A Fawaz  3 , Marwa E Abdelmoniem  3
Affiliations

Pattern of antibiotic use among children caregivers: a cross-sectional study

Doaa S Ahmed et al. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. .

Abstract

Background: Antibiotic resistance, a major global health concern, is primarily caused by the irrational use of antibiotics. Parents play a crucial role in antibiotic use by children, directly impacting their clinical outcomes. This study aimed to assess the pattern of antibiotic use among parents and its related factors.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 parents randomly selected from the pediatric outpatient clinics of Al-Zahraa University Hospital, Cairo. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire about sociodemographic data, antibiotic use patterns, parental knowledge and attitudes, common sources of information, and reasons for self-prescribing antibiotics.

Results: Out of the 400 parents surveyed, 87.7% were mothers with a mean age of 31.9 ± 7 years, 76% were highly educated, almost half were not working, 63% came from urban areas, and 95.2% had sufficient income. As for their children, 57.5% had male children; their average age was 5.5 ± 3.7 years. The misuse of antibiotics was prevalent among 37.2% (95% CI = 32.5-42.2%) of parents. When assessing parents' knowledge and attitude towards antibiotic use, 30.2% (95% CI = 25.8-35.0%) had good knowledge which was significantly more common among highly educated, working, and high-income parents, while the majority (72%, 95% CI = 67.3-76.3%) had a positive attitude. Having more and older children significantly increased the probability of antibiotic misuse, while a higher level of parental education and a positive attitude decreased the likelihood of such misuse (odds ratio (OR) was 1.31, 1.09, 0.52, and 0.11, respectively). Most parents obtained their information about antibiotics from physicians (92%) followed by experience from previous prescription (58.5%). Moreover, among inappropriate users, previous prescriptions and the parent's perception of the child's illness as a nonurgent condition were the most frequently cited reasons for the parents' self-prescription of antibiotics (76.5% and 69.1%, respectively).

Conclusion: Approximately, one-third of surveyed parents demonstrated an inappropriate use of antibiotics. Despite possessing a highly positive attitude and a reasonable level of knowledge about antibiotics, parents often underestimate the potential adverse effects. Tailored measures to promote appropriate antibiotic use are therefore needed to combat the problem of antibiotic resistance.

Keywords: Antibiotics; Misuse; Parents of children.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: Official approvals from the ethics committees at the Faculty of Medicine for Girls were obtained. It was approved by the Institution Review Board (IRB) (R.2022.081491). Also, permission to conduct the study was obtained from the directors of the pediatric department at Al-Zahraa University Hospitals. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants who agreed to participate in the study; they were informed that their participation in the current study was optional, and that the gathered data would only be used for research purposes. By assigning a code number to each response, participants were guaranteed their identity and confidentiality. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of antibiotic use among the studied group
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Source of information about antibiotic among the studied parents
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Reported reasons for antibiotic’ self-prescription among the studied misusers
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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