Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Parents Regarding Antibiotic Usage in Treating Children’s Upper Respiratory Tract Infection at Primary Health Clinic in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of parents regarding antibiotic usage for treating upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) among children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 randomly selected parents attending a primary health clinic using self-administered questionnaires. RESULTS: About two-thirds (69.1%) of the parents had poor knowledge level. Only 25.2% and 21.6% of the parents could correctly identify amoxicillin and penicillin as the treatment of children’s URTI. However, about two-thirds (67.5%) of the parents were aware of the antibiotic resistance caused by overuse of antibiotics. A significant association was noted between the father’s and mother’s educational level and family income with the knowledge level. Only mother’s educational level depicted a significant association with the attitude. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of parents regarding antibiotic usage for URTI was poor. More numbers of health promotions and educational campaigns are required to help parents understand about antibiotic usage.