Awareness of antibiotic resistance for the environmental health and sustainable development: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a significant threat for global health and has been recognized as a threat to the world’s sustainable development affecting several sustainable development goals (SDG). Uncontrolled and unjustified use of antimicrobial drugs in both agriculture and medicine, leads to the emergence of new strains of microorganisms resistant to antibiotics that can be distributed through the environment and poses both direct and indirect threat to public and environmental health. The systematic literature reviews and cross-sectional study to assess the awareness and attitude to antimicrobial resistance among veterinary and medical students of Ukrainian universities demonstrates the relationship between the antibiotic resistance issue and its influence on environmental health as the important determinant of global health and the Sustainable Development Goals. Both medical and veterinary students acknowledged the antimicrobial resistance to a certain extent. However, differences among the responses of target groups demonstrate that medical students are better trained on antimicrobial prescriptions to humans and more familiar with the protocols of treatment of different diseases of humans. Findings can be used for the development of educational activities aiming to improve knowledge on antimicrobial use, particularly in the framework of One Health approach.