Does antibiotic awareness campaigns exposure decrease intention to demand antibiotic treatment? Testing a structural model among parents in Western Australia.

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the key public health concerns the world is facing today. The effect of antibiotic awareness campaigns (AACs) on consumer behaviour has been documented in the literature with mixed results. Understanding the mechanism for how AACs affect target populations is vital in designing effective and tailored campaigns. Using structural equation modelling our study examined the relationships among people's exposure to antibiotic awareness campaigns, knowledge of AMR prevention, AMR risk perception, and intention to seek antibiotic treatment. This study also tested the moderating effect of anxiety and societal responsibility on preventing AMR, and on their intention to demand antibiotic treatment mediated by knowledge of AMR prevention and risk-perception. Primary data was generated using an online survey of 250 Western Australian parents. We tested our hypotheses using reliability and validity tests and structural equation modelling. Our results show that exposure to AACs alone may not be enough to change parental intention to demand antibiotic prescription for their children. Parental risk perception of AMR and parental anxiety affect intention to demand antibiotics, and the view that AMR is a social responsibility has a moderating effect on intention to demand antibiotics. These factors could be considered and combine messaging strategies in designing future antibiotic awareness campaigns.