Allied Health Sciences

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    Antibiotics use pattern and knowledge of antibiotics resistance among undergraduates in a Nigerian university
    (Elsevier, 2012-06) Aladejare, A.; IJadunola, Kayode T.; Akorah, U. A.; Alabi, O. T.; Aladejebi, O. E.; Alege, F. F.
    Misuse of antibiotics is one of the notable causes of antibiotic resistance, but there is very little data on the community practices in our environment. The study is aimed at describing the antibiotic use pattern, knowledge and perception of antibiotic resistance among undergraduates at Obafemi Awolowo University. This cross-sectional study was carried out from May - July 2011. 400 respondents were selected using a multistage sampling technique across six faculties. A Pilot tested semi-structured self administered questionnaire was used to collect data after informed consent was obtained. Data was analysed using SPSS. Frequency distributions and percentages were determined as applicable. Majority (73.8%) of respondents were aged between 15-24 years. Most (81.9%) of them admitted taking antibiotics without completing the full course while only 16.0% completed the full course of antibiotics. 20.5% of the respondents admitted taking incomplete courses every time, while 43.6% admitted doing so sometimes. Major reasons for stopping the antibiotic were; improvement in condition (47.3%) and dislike of medicine (14.1%). Most (48.1%) got the prescription for the last antibiotic from a doctor, while a significant 18.1% were self prescribers. Only (0.5%) got their prescription from drug hawkers. Ampliclox, Ampicillin and Tetracycline were the most frequently used antibiotic. Convenience was the major reason reported for choosing the sources of antibiotics however, majority (63.3%) usually procure their antibiotics from a commercial pharmacy. Some inappropriate reasons for antibiotic use were; ‘fever unresponsive to other drugs’ (44.8%), ‘eating food suspected to be contaminated’ (19.7%), ‘to wash blood’ (18.4%), and ‘after unprotected sex’(5.1%) among others. More than half of the respondents (55.5%) have heard of antibiotic resistance and had good knowledge of it causes and consequences. (37.8%) have never heard of antibiotic resistance. The study concluded that the antibiotic use pattern of the students was sub-optimal as many of them engaged in taking incomplete courses of antibiotics while others engaged in inappropriate use of antibiotics, despite the high awareness of the problem of antibiotic resistance among them. These findings emphasize the need to educate the students on the judicious use of antibiotics.