Dataset Information

Knowledge and Attitude of University Students on Antibiotics: A Cross-sectional Study in Malaysia.

ABSTRACT: Background:Antibiotic resistance has become one of the major global health threats. The lack of knowledge on antibiotics contributes to the indiscriminate use of these medications and subsequent antibiotic resistance. Objective:To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of university students regarding antibiotics. Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted on university students at a private university in Malaysia in 2018, using a self-administered validated questionnaire. Results:Of the 424 respondents included in this study, 25.7% had taken antibiotics in the previous month while 22.6% had good knowledge about antibiotics. The faculty to which the respondents were attached was the only determinant associated with the respondents' knowledge level on antibiotics. The odds of respondents from other faculties having poor knowledge level on antibiotics were significantly higher than those from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences (P<0.001). The study found that 77.8% of the respondents knew the roles of antibiotics in treating bacterial infections, but only 27.4% knew that antibiotics were not for viral infections. However, 46.5% of the respondents recognized that penicillin is an antibiotic, but only 35.4% and 9.2% knew that aspirin and diphenhydramine, respectively, are not antibiotics. More than 70% of the respondents were aware that antibiotics have side effects and that overuse of antibiotics could lead to resistance. However, 35.6% expected antibiotics to be prescribed for common colds and 33% would not complete their course of antibiotics. Conclusion:The study shows that university students do not have adequate knowledge and about one-third have misconceptions about antibiotics. This calls for health education interventions at university level as this target population will be the future leaders of the country.

SUBMITTER: Tiong TW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7443416 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Knowledge and Attitude of University Students on Antibiotics: A Cross-sectional Study in Malaysia.

Tiong Ting Wei TW Chua Siew Siang SS

Drug, healthcare and patient safety 20200819

<h4>Background</h4>Antibiotic resistance has become one of the major global health threats. The lack of knowledge on antibiotics contributes to the indiscriminate use of these medications and subsequent antibiotic resistance.<h4>Objective</h4>To evaluate the knowledge and attitude of university students regarding antibiotics.<h4>Methods</h4>A cross-sectional study was conducted on university students at a private university in Malaysia in 2018, using a self-administered validated questionnaire.< ...[more]

PMID: 32884359

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Project description:We assessed university students' knowledge, attitude, and practice toward blood donation and identified the factors that promote or hinder their willingness to donate. We employed a multicenter cross-sectional design, collecting data from August to October 2022 through self-administered questionnaires available in Arabic and English. Both online (Google Forms) and paper surveys were utilized. Data were analyzed using R Statistical Software (v4.1.3; R Core Team 2022). A total of 12,606 university students (7966 females and 4640 males) from 16 countries completed the questionnaire; of them, 28.5% had a good knowledge level regarding blood donation, and 22.7% had donated blood at least once. Students in health science colleges had significantly more awareness of blood donation (p-value < 0.001), but there were no significant differences in practice (p-value = 0.8). Barriers to donation included not being asked (37%), medical ineligibility (33%), fear of pain or infection (18%), concerns about negative health effects (18%), difficulty accessing donation centers (15%), and medical mistrust (14%). Individuals aged > 20 years had significantly higher odds of possessing a high knowledge level (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.77, p < 0.001). Private and international university enrollment was associated with increased knowledge (aOR 1.19, p-value < 0.001 and aOR 1.44, p-value = 0.003), while non-health science college students had lower odds (aOR 0.36, p < 0.001). Regarding blood donation status, participants > 20 years old were more likely to donate (aOR 2.21, p < 0.001). Conversely, being female, having congenital or chronic diseases, and possessing low knowledge levels were associated with decreased odds of blood donation (all p < 0.05). University students show insufficient knowledge about blood donation, with health science students displaying higher awareness levels. Despite their positive attitudes, blood donation rates remain low across all disciplines. It is imperative to enhance education and accessibility to foster a culture of blood donation among students.

Project description:BACKGROUND:Ethiopia is among the 14 high TB, TB/HIV and MDR-TB burden countries globally. Prior studies indicate students attending universities in Ethiopia may be at increased risk for active tuberculosis (TB) relative to the general population, mainly due to the dramatic increase in expansion of the enrollment scale of universities.This study sought to gain insight about non-health science university students' TB knowledge and attitudes to help develop a strategy for TB education in this population. METHODS:A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2018 among non-health science university students at three eastern Ethiopia public universities. Participants were considered having 'good' knowledge on TB when they correctly mentioned the communicability, means of transmission and prevention methods of TB and recognized modern medicine as the best treatment for TB. Participants were considered as having 'acceptable' attitude towards TB when they indicated they would seek immediate care for TB diagnosis, not hide a TB diagnosis and feel compassion to help people with TB. RESULTS:A total of 1720 non-health science university students participated. Only 614 (35.7%) of the students had 'good' knowledge on TB. This differed significantly between universities, with students from Haramaya and Dire Dawa universities more likely to have 'good' TB knowledge than their counterparts from Jigjiga University [COR (Crude Odds Ratio):1.62 and 1.94, respectively; and 95% Confidence Interval (CI): (1.236, 2.079) and (1.511, 2.483), respectively]. Only a third of students, 555 (32.3%) mentioned 'bacteria' as causing TB, and 836 students (48.6%) had ever heard of Multi Drug Resistant-TB (MDR-TB). An 'acceptable' attitude towards people with TB was observed in 666 students (38.7%). Even though 739 students (43%) felt compassion and desire to help TB patients, 213 (12%) and 382 (22%) mentioned they fear and tend to stay away from TB patients, respectively. CONCLUSIONS:The present study revealed that non-health science university students lack important TB knowledge and have misconceptions about TB in eastern Ethiopia. University administrators and other stakeholders striving against TB should provide due attention to university settings and consider development of student education programs to improve awareness and knowledge of TB disease.

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Dataset Information

Knowledge and Attitude of University Students on Antibiotics: A Cross-sectional Study in Malaysia.

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Knowledge and Attitude of University Students on Antibiotics: A Cross-sectional Study in Malaysia.

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