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Effectiveness of an educational intervention in modifying parental attitudes about antibiotic usage in children
James A Taylor1, Tao Sheng C Kwan-Gett, Edward M McMahon
1Department of Pediatrics, Child Health Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA. uncjat@u.washington.edu
Insights
Simple educational materials effectively improved parental attitudes towards the judicious use of antibiotics in young children. Information on specific conditions showed greater impact than general antibiotic usage advice.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric primary care
- Public health education
- Antibiotic stewardship
Background:
- Parental attitudes significantly influence antibiotic use in young children.
- Misconceptions about antibiotic efficacy contribute to overuse.
- Targeted education is crucial for promoting appropriate antibiotic prescribing and usage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions in shaping parental attitudes regarding judicious antibiotic use.
- To compare the impact of specific versus general antibiotic information on parental beliefs.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving parents of children under 24 months.
- Intervention group received antibiotic education materials (pamphlet and video).
- Control group received injury prevention materials; attitude changes assessed via questionnaires at baseline and 6 weeks.
Main Results:
- Educational materials significantly improved parental attitudes for 5 of 9 antibiotic-related statements.
- Attitudinal shifts favored judicious antibiotic use.
- Specific information on antibiotic use for childhood conditions was more impactful than general statements.
Conclusions:
- A straightforward educational intervention can successfully modify parental attitudes towards appropriate antibiotic use.
- Tailoring educational content to specific childhood conditions enhances its effectiveness in changing parental antibiotic-related beliefs.
Objective:
To determine the effectiveness of educational materials in improving the attitudes of parents of young children about the judicious use of antibiotics.
Methods:
We conducted a randomized controlled trial by recruiting parents of children who were younger than 24 months and being seen for any reason in primary care pediatric offices. At the time of enrollment, study parents indicated their level of agreement with 16 statements, including 9 statements about antibiotic usage and 7 about injury prevention. After being randomized, parents received either a pamphlet and a videotape promoting the judicious use of antibiotics (intervention group) or brochures about effective injury prevention (control group). Six weeks after enrollment, each group received another copy of the pamphlet or brochures and a follow-up questionnaire with the identical 16 statements. Responses on both questionnaires were transformed to an ordinal scale for analysis. Scores on the follow-up questionnaire for each statement about antibiotic use and injury prevention in the 2 groups were compared using linear regression, after controlling for the score obtained for the statement at enrollment.
Results:
We enrolled a total of 499 eligible parents in the study; 358 (72%) completed the follow-up questionnaires. At study entry, there were no significant differences between parents in the intervention and control groups regarding attitudes for 15 of the 16 statements assessed. However, 6 weeks after receiving the antibiotic educational materials, parents in the intervention group had significantly different attitude scores for 5 of the 9 statements about the antibiotic use. In each case, the scores reflected attitudes that would promote the judicious use of antibiotics. We found significant attitudinal change for statements about the use of antibiotics for specific conditions in children; there were no differences between the 2 groups for more general or theoretical statements about antibiotic use.
Conclusions:
A simple educational effort was successful in modifying parental attitudes about the judicious use of antibiotics. Information about specific childhood conditions may be more effective in changing attitudes than more general information about antibiotic usage.