@article{ajeid2017523,
author={{Khalifeh, Malak and Moore, Nicholas and Salameh, Pascale},
title={Public Knowledge and Attitude towards Antibiotic Use in Lebanon},
journal={American Journal of Epidemiology and Infectious Disease},
volume={5},
number={2},
pages={35--41},
year={2017},
url={http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajeid/5/2/3},
issn={2333-1275},
abstract={<b>Introduction: </b>Antibiotic resistance is a major threat in global public health. This study aims to assess the public knowledge, attitude and practice towards antibiotic use among general public in Lebanon. <b>Method: </b>It was a cross sectional study in a community-based pharmacy setting in Lebanon. It used a structured random interview to patients visiting community pharmacy seeking for antibiotics. Descriptive statistics were presented and multivariate logistic regressions were performed in data analysis. <b>Results:</b> A total of 495 participated in the study. The study sample had in general low knowledge (average = 6) and attitude score (average=3.16). High proportion of Lebanese participants believed that antibiotics were used for treatment of common cough cold and sore throat symptoms (59%) or viral infections (53%). 42% preferred to take antibiotics from the pharmacy without physician prescription. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, females showed better knowledge toward antibiotic use compared to males (ORa=1.59, 95%CI=1.01-2.53). Compared to participants aged >50 years old, the level of adequate knowledge was higher in those aged 25-50 years old (ORa=3.66, 95%CI=1.79-7.49). <b>Conclusion:</b> This study identified important knowledge and attitude gaps among general public in Lebanon. Future antibiotic awareness campaigns and patient counselling should be implemented to reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance.},
doi={10.12691/ajeid-5-2-3}
publisher={Science and Education Publishing}
}