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How Much Iranian Parents Know of and How Well They Practice Regarding Antibiotics?
Zahra Sharif1, Fateme Babaei1, Nazila Yousefi1
1Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharma Management, Faculty of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Insights
Parents
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Irrational antibiotic use is a global health issue, increasing costs and driving antimicrobial resistance.
- Parental knowledge and practices are key factors influencing antibiotic use in children.
- Understanding these factors is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the knowledge and practices of parents regarding prescribed antibiotics for children up to 12 years old.
- To identify gaps in parental understanding and behaviors related to antibiotic use.
- To provide data for improving antibiotic stewardship programs.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cross-sectional survey conducted in Tehran, Iran, involving 401 parents.
- Knowledge assessed via a 37-item questionnaire; practice evaluated through self-report and direct observation.
- Data analyzed using SPSS 22.
Main Results:
- Parents scored an average of 9.72/17.00 on knowledge regarding antibiotic administration, indications, storage, and resistance.
- Self-reported appropriate antibiotic practice was 49.4% (average score 3.95/8).
- Observational data indicated acceptable antibiotic practice in 68.4% of parents (average score 5.93/10).
Conclusions:
- Approximately half of the parents demonstrated acceptable practices in antibiotic use for their children.
- Significant gaps in parental knowledge and practice highlight the need for improved antibiotic education.
- Interventions targeting parental education are essential to combat irrational antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance.
Abstract:
Irrational use of antibiotics as a global health concern has led to excessive treatment costs, failure of treatments, and antimicrobial resistance. Parents' knowledge of and practice regarding antibiotics are two important factors contributing to the (ir) rational use of antibiotics. This study aimed to evaluate ill children's parents' knowledge and practice of prescribed antibiotics. Our subjects included only parents with children up to 12 (inclusive) years of age in Tehran, Iran's capital. A prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted at 203 health care centers in Tehran. Parents' knowledge was evaluated using a 37-item researcher-made questionnaire, and their practice about antibiotics was measured with a self-stated questionnaire, followed by an observational method to gain a real insight into their practice. SPSS 22 was used to analyze the data. A total of 401 randomly selected parents were enrolled in the study. The average score of parents' knowledge of antibiotics regarding administration, indications, storage, and antimicrobial resistance was found to be 9.72 out of 17.00. In the self-stated method, an appropriate practice of antibiotic use was reported in 49.4% of participants who also got an average score of 3.95 points out of a total 8. In the observational method, most parents' practice (68.4%) regarding antibiotic use was found to be acceptable; their average score was 5.93 points out of a total of 10. The findings of this study showed that half of the parents had adopted an acceptable practice regarding antibiotic use.
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