INTRODUCTION: Antimicrobial resistance developed through the inadequate use of
antibiotics ; is an overriding task for global
public health .
OBJECTIVE: To explore
awareness ,
knowledge , and practices, and compare the
elements associated with
antibiotic misuse in different
University students and uneducated people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province,
Pakistan .
METHODS: Cross-sectional study was conducted from July to December 2020 using a validated
questionnaire . Data were collected from eleven different
university students and uneducated people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Pakistan .
RESULTS: 3,600
questionnaires were completed, consisting of 56.9%
Male and 43.0%
Female . 1,999 (55.5%) of the
antibiotic users reported through the
survey used non-
prescription antibiotics within a one-month study period. Out of the participants, 230 (6.3%) were uneducated or their
education level was below matric
rest were
university students . 1999 (55.5%) reported buying
Antibiotics with Medical
Prescription . Most
self -medicated participants (56.9%) stop taking
antibiotics when they feel better. More than 90% of the
respondents answered that doctors and
pharmacist staff do not guide them well that how to use
antibiotics . 2,171 (60.03%)
respondents mistakenly believed that
antibiotics improve restoration from
coughs and colds. Only 720 (20%)
respondents knew that
antibiotics also disturb normal
flora and 547 participants (15.9%) agree that unnecessary use of
antibiotics causes bacterial resistance.
CONCLUSION: Finding from this study may have important implications for
public health policy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Pakistan given the growing global resistance to
antibiotics and the reported
health issues related to their improper use.