Public Awareness about Antibiotic Use, Inflammatory responses and Resistance: New insights from cross sectional rural health behavior surveys

Abstract

Background: Public awareness about antibiotic use, inflammatory responses and resistance is insufficient even in wealthy countries, and it is more severe in low- and middle income countries. Inappropriate use of antibiotics has recognized as a leading cause of antibiotic resistance and biggest threats to global public health. The aim of this study was to describe antibiotic-related knowledge, attitudes, practices, inflammatory response, in addition to assess the antibiotic access and resistance from general rural population. A general rural population-based study with validated questionnaire for 600 participants were participated from November 2023 to April 2024. Data was analyzed and multivariate regression administered to identify associated factors with awareness. Results: This Rural population-based study shows good general awareness about antibiotics and understand that misuse can lead to antibiotic resistance, indicating that health education messages have reached the population. However, confusion still exists, as many people cannot clearly identify antibiotics and sometimes mistake common medicines like paracetamol for antibiotics and some still skip doses or take antibiotics just in case, showing a gap between knowledge and practice. Many respondents believe antibiotics help them recover faster from fever or illness and consider them safe, leading to frequent and sometimes unnecessary use. Antibiotic use is often situational, with many people consulting doctors and checking expiry dates but not always following safe practices and obtain antibiotics without prescription or stop treatment early, highlighting the need for stronger public awareness and guidance. Conclusion: This study will be useful in designing effective and targeted interventions to decrease misconceptions about antibiotic use and to increase awareness about the risks of inappropriate use of antibiotics in the rural community