Public-knowledge-and-attitudes-towards-antibiotics-usage-in-perlis-a-cross-sectional-study

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Introduction: Antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide. The prevalence of bacterial resistance varies in different geographical areas, and it was correlated with the utilisation of antibiotics in the general population. Objective: This study was conducted to assess public knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic usage in Perlis, Malaysia. Method: A validated self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed among the public in three main parliament areas of Perlis using the quota sampling method from August to October 2017. The questionnaire from a previous study by Lim et al. was used and the data were analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Result: About half of the respondents (51%) were found to have good knowledge (score ≥6 out of 12), and 45.1% have a good attitude (score ≥6 out of 8). The mean knowledge score was 5.0±2.19 and the mean attitude score was 5.6±3.00. As for knowledge, most respondents still perceived those antibiotics would work on viral infections in the common cold and cough. In terms of attitude, almost three-quarters of the study population (74%) expected antibiotics to treat cough and cold while two-thirds of the respondents (65.1%) expected that taking antibiotics would improve recovery. Half of the respondents (53.6%) will stop taking antibiotics when they start feeling better. Age, education level, and employment sector were found to be significantly associated with knowledge and attitude. There was a positive correlation (r=0.581) between knowledge and attitude scores. Conclusion: This study has identified people with better knowledge would have an appropriate attitude regarding the use of antibiotics. Hence, educational programmes targeting the young generation and public who do not work in the healthcare field are significant to promote the appropriate utilisation of antibiotics among the public in Perlis.