摘要：Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a global issue that causes significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, this study aims to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of the general Saudi populations toward antibiotics use.
Design and method: A cross-sectional, anonymous online survey was conducted from January 1 to May 11, 2020, across five major regions of Saudi Arabia. Participants (aged ≥18 years) were invited through social media to complete an online self-structured questionnaire. All data were analyzed by Statistical Package (SPSS v. 25). Descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Chi-squared,
t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Pearson correlation analyses were conducted.
Results: Out of 443 participants, the majority (n=309, 69.8%) were females, 294 (64.4%) were married, 176 (39.7%) were 25-34 years of age, 338 (76.3%) were living in the Eastern Province, 313 (70.7%) had college or higher education, 139 (31.4%) were not working, and 163 (36.8%) had a monthly income of USD 800-1330. Overall, most participants demonstrated good knowledge and practice (88% and 85.6%, respectively). However, 76.8%had inadequate attitude score levels towards antibiotics use. Of all the respondents, 74.9% knew that not completing a full course of antibiotics may cause antibiotics resistance, 91.33% did not agree that antibiotics should be accessed without a prescription, and 94.04% will not hand over leftover antibiotics to family members. Factors associated with adequate knowledge were female, medical jobs, and higher income (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Our findings revealed that while most participants were aware of antibiotics use and demonstrated good knowledge, good practices, they had negative attitudes towards antibiotics use.
Significance for public health
Antibiotics are considered the miracle of medicine that can cure patients with infectious diseases. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, few studies described antimicrobial practices. Most of the surveys were limited to certain areas. Therefore, this study assessed general knowledge, practices, and attitudes towards antibiotics use in multiple regions of Saudi Arabia. The findings could be used to assess the level of awareness about antibiotic use and may help policymakers to develop plans, laws, and programs to limit misuse of antibiotics and to preserve the health of the general population of Saudi Arabia.
