Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding antibiotic use and resistance among university students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional survey study

Abstract

Background: Antibiotics are lifesaving drugs when used appropriately. On the other hand, inappropriate use causes antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria to grow quickly, which has negative health effects such treatment failure, longer hospital stays, greater medical expenses, decreased efficacy, morbidity, and death. The aim of the study is to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of antibiotic use and resistance among university students. Methods: A university-based cross-sectional survey study was conducted in Northwest Ethiopia from April 1 to June 30, 2022 among regular undergraduate students at Debre Tabor University. A stratified random sampling technique was used. The Statistical Package for Social Science for Windows version 27 was used to enter and analyze the data. The variables influencing knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the usage of antibiotics were evaluated using logistic regression. We used 95% confidence intervals and considered p-values less than 0.05 as significant. Results: In the end, 316 participants were included in the research. 176 (55.7%) of the participants were male, and 226 (71.5%) were in the 20–25 age range. About half 52.4% of the students showed good knowledge, 48.9% had a positive attitude, and 45.7% used antibiotics appropriately. More than half of the students (54.7%) demonstrated an adequate understanding of antibiotic resistance, while nearly half (45.2%) exhibited a positive attitude toward it. Factors influencing knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of antibiotic use were identified. Students from rural areas were 48% less likely to be knowledgeable than urban students (AOR = 0.526, 95% CI: 0.159–0.837, p = 0.012). Compared to health related majors, non-health majors had significantly lower knowledge (AOR = 0.660, 95% CI: 0.159–0.987, p = 0.012) and poorer practices (AOR = 0.551, 95% CI: 0.292–0.845, p = 0.013). Conclusion: The findings indicated insufficient knowledge, unfavourable attitudes, and inappropriate practices concerning antibiotic use and resistance. Targeted interventions may be implemented through structured meetings, educational materials, and comprehensive training programs.