Abstract
Background: Antibiotic resistance is a threatening issue to human wellbeing and an obstacle in the treatment process of many life-threating illnesses. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic usage among the general population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A self-administered cross-sectional survey of 460 participants was distributed among the general population in Jeddah in the form of a validated questionnaire. Sample size was calculated to be 460 adults of either gender. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Results: the age of more than half of participants (55.6%) was 18–30 years old, followed by the age group 31–40 years old (26.6%), with the smallest age group >60 years old (1.9%). More than two thirds of participants were male (69.5%), while 131 were female, accounting for 30.5%. Almost one third of participants had poor knowledge about antibiotics (30.5%), 51.0% had used antibiotics without any prescriptions, 54.6% of participants thought antibiotics could be used to treat viral infections, and 55.1% thought it was acceptable to stop taking antibiotics if symptoms start to improve. In addition, 49% believed that taking antibiotics would help them get better more rapidly when suffering from the common cold. Some personal characteristics were significantly associated with the public’s knowledge (e.g., age, education, and monthly income) and their attitudes (e.g., monthly income). Conclusion: Findings revealed a low level of knowledge on the use of antibiotics among the general public in Jeddah. This study signifies the need for improvement in the public’s knowledge and enhancement of their attitudes toward proper utilization of antibiotics.
Highlights
Even though governmental regulations in Saudi Arabia indicate that antibiotics should be dispensed only upon physicians’ prescriptions, this is frequently ignored by pharmacies and the general public [14,15]
Our findings showed that the population of our study had variations in levels of knowledge regarding the purpose of antibiotics, especially regarding the treatment of pain/inflammation, fever, and all infections, including viral infections, with the percentage of those who had correct answers being 26.6%, 34.7%, 39.1%, and 45.4%, respectively
Participants’ attitudes toward antibiotics varied significantly based on their monthly income only. These findings are in accordance with those reported in a Malaysian study that found the general public’s age, educational level, and monthly income were significantly associated with their knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic use [13]
Summary
In the 21st century, one of the issues that threatens human wellbeing is the antibiotic resistant phenomenon [1]. The pharmaceutical industry is working hard to cope with the challenge of developing new antibiotics with more availability, broader spectrums, and better effectiveness against resistant bacteria, the emergence of superbugs is still a humongous challenge the world over. The. Antibiotic resistance is a threatening issue to human wellbeing and an obstacle in the treatment process of many life-threating illnesses. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward antibiotic usage among the general population in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A self-administered cross-sectional survey of 460 participants was distributed among the general population in Jeddah in the form of a validated questionnaire. Results: the age of more than half of participants (55.6%)
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