Public Knowledge, Beliefs and Behavior on Antibiotic Use and Self-Medication in Lithuania
by
Eglė Pavydė 1,*, Vincentas Veikutis 2,†, Asta Mačiulienė 3,†, Vytautas Mačiulis 3,†, Kęstutis Petrikonis 4,† and Edgaras Stankevičius 1
Eglė Pavydė 1,*, Vincentas Veikutis 2,†, Asta Mačiulienė 3,†, Vytautas Mačiulis 3,†, Kęstutis Petrikonis 4,† and Edgaras Stankevičius 1
1
Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, A. Mickeviciaus Str. 9, Kaunas 44307, Lithuania
2
Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas 49264, Lithuania
3
Department of Anesthesiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas 50161, Lithuania
4
Department of Neurology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas 50161, Lithuania
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Academic Editor: Tetsuji Yamada
Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12(6), 7002-7016; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120607002
Received: 23 February 2015 / Revised: 26 May 2015 / Accepted: 27 May 2015 / Published: 17 June 2015
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Health Behavior and Public Health)
Irrational antibiotic use has led society to antibiotic resistance—a serious health problem worldwide. This study aimed to assess public knowledge, beliefs, and behavior concerning antibiotic use and self-medication in Lithuania. The cross-sectional survey method was processed using a validated questionnaire in different regions of Lithuania. In total, 1005 adults completed the questionnaire and were included in the study. More than half of the respondents (61.1%) had poor knowledge of antibiotics. Almost half of the respondents incorrectly identified antibiotics as being effective either against viral (26.0%) or mixed (bacterial and viral) infections (21.7%). The respondents with lower educational qualifications (OR = 2.515; 95% CI 1.464–4.319; p = 0.001) and those from rural areas (OR = 1.765; 95% CI 1.041–2.991; p = 0.035) were significantly less knowledgeable of antibiotics. There was no significant difference between genders, different age groups, or different parenthood status. The determined level of self–medication with antibiotics was 31.0%. The men (OR = 1.650; 95% CI 1.120–2.430; p = 0.011), the respondents from rural areas (OR = 2.002; 95% CI 1.343–2.985; p = 0.001), and those without children (OR = 2.428; 95% CI 1.477–3.991; p < 0.001) were more likely to use antibiotics in self-medication. Lithuanian residents’ knowledge of antibiotics is insufficient. More information about antibiotic use should be provided by physicians and pharmacists. Self-medication with antibiotics is a serious problem in Lithuania and requires considerable attention.
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Keywords:
antibiotics; knowledge; rational antibiotic use; self-medication; risk factors; antibiotic resistance; parent behavior; Lithuania
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
MDPI and ACS Style
Pavydė, E.; Veikutis, V.; Mačiulienė, A.; Mačiulis, V.; Petrikonis, K.; Stankevičius, E. Public Knowledge, Beliefs and Behavior on Antibiotic Use and Self-Medication in Lithuania. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 7002-7016.
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