Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) on Antibiotic Use and Disposal Ways in Sidama Region, Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Antibiotic resistance has been among the top public health threats elsewhere. Scientific information on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) at the community level towards antibiotic use and disposal ways is a vital step for effective intervention. This study aimed at determining the levels of KAP and associated risk factors for antibiotics in and around Hawassa City, southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression were used to analyze and interpret the results. A total of 504 participants with a mean age of 35.32 ± 9.03 years were included in the study. Most of the participants were urban dwellers (59.5%); more than half (55.6%) of the participants were male; most of the participants (62.7%) were at least college graduates; about half were employed (52.4%); about 41.7% of the participants had a large family size (≥7) with a mean family size of 5.7 ± 2.7; the average family monthly income was ETB 7213.71 ± 3673, and over three-fourth (74.8%) of the study participants were married. In addition, about 83.13% of the study participants heard about antibiotics; almost all of them (99.8%) had ever used antibiotics at some point in their life (75% of which used antibiotics within 6 months), and all of them could name at least one common type of antibiotic. Moreover, most of the participants (86.5%) did not receive any training related to antibiotics, and 29.4% of them obtained antibiotics without a prescription. Most participants had poor knowledge (64%), negative attitudes (60.4%), and poor practices (55%) towards antibiotic use, resistance, and disposal methods. Significant and positive linear correlations between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.539, P ≤ 0.001 ), knowledge-practice (r = 0.532, P ≤ 0.001 ), and attitude-practice (r = 0.786, P < 0.001 ) were also observed. Most of the sociodemographic variables were significantly associated with the mean KAP scores of the study participants. Living in a rural area, having a large family size, and being female, married, illiterate, and farmer resulted in a very low level of knowledge. Similarly, living in a rural area, having a small family size, and being older and married resulted in a negative attitude. Furthermore, having a smaller family size, having a low family monthly income, and being married, illiterate, and self-employed resulted in poor practice. A very low level of KAP towards antibiotics among people living in and around Hawassa City calls for urgent and effective intervention strategies.

Unused, expired pharmaceuticals and their disposal practices among the general public in Burdur-Türkiye: a cross-sectional study

“…In the literature search, studies researching socio-demographic characteristics and the number of pharmaceuticals are very limited. A previous study found that medication disposal practice was found to be associated with some sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, marital status, and residence [ 16 ]. In another study, it was reported that parameters such as gender, education level, and place of residence were associated with drug keeping at home [ 17 ].…”

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Salmonella and Shigella among Diarrheic Patients Attending Selected Health Facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

“…Studies conducted in different parts of Ethiopia showed a high rate of multidrug resistance among Salmonella isolates. In these study areas, self-medication, dropping prescribed antimicrobials before their full course of therapy, and sharing medication with other people are common practices in the communities [ 34 , 35 ]. The presence of a significant knowledge and practice gap on antimicrobial resistance among the general public, patients, and livestock producers is also reported recently [ 36 ].…”