Prevalence and correlates of oral antibiotic use in Canada

Antimicrobial use (AMU) is a known driver of antimicrobial resistance. Insight into prevalence and correlates of AMU can help identify health inequities and areas for targeted action. To better understand sociodemographic and medical dimensions of AMU in Canada, the Public Health Agency of Canada, in partnership with Statistics Canada, developed a Rapid Response Module questionnaire on self-reported oral antibiotic use, to be administered as part of the 2018 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS).

To provide data on the proportion of people in Canada that self-report the use of antibiotics and sociodemographic and health factors associated with use.

This cross-sectional study used data from the CCHS, a national survey of 24,176 people with a clustered multi-stage stratified random sampling design. In 2018, an antibiotic use module was administered to CCHS participants.

Among respondents 18 years and older, 26% reported receipt of at least one oral antibiotic over the past year. Several sociodemographic and health factors had higher adjusted odds of receiving an antibiotic prescription, including those aged 18 years compared to aged 48 years (mean), women compared to men, immigrants compared to non-immigrants (excluding Indigenous), current and former smokers compared to those who have never smoked, and those with comorbidities (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, arthritis, heart disease, cancer, bowel disorder and urinary incontinence).

Variations in AMU across different key populations and sociodemographic groups highlight the need to improve our understanding of different drivers of AMU and for tailored interventions to reduce inequitable risks of antimicrobial resistance.