In-home antibiotic storage among Australian Chinese migrants

To estimate the prevalence of in-home antibiotic storage among Australian Chinese migrants and to identify the risk factors associated with storing antibiotics at home.

Four hundred and sixty-nine Chinese migrants in Australia who were recruited through Chinese social websites completed an online questionnaire about antibiotic use. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the associations between possible risk factors and storing antibiotics at home.

According to the web-based survey, 220 (47%) out of 469 participants reported having antibiotics stored at home. Previous use of antibiotics, bringing antibiotics in from outside Australia, and a pro-attitude to the use of leftover antibiotics were significantly associated with storing antibiotics at home after adjusting for age, gender, and household annual income. Participants who self-reported an awareness of antibiotic side effects or resistance had a slightly higher but not significant risk of storing antibiotics at home.

Approximately half of the participants in this study had antibiotics stored at home. The risk of using the antibiotics stored at home without medical consultation is of concern. Education programs need to target those with high-risk behaviours to curtail the inappropriate practice of antibiotic use and storage among Australian Chinese migrants.