Misconceptions of Parents about Antibiotic use in Upper Respiratory Tract Infections: A survey in Primary Schools of the Eastern Province, KSA

BACKGROUND: Misuse of antibiotics has become a global public health issue for several reasons, one of which is the rapid development of antibiotic resistance that leads to high morbidity and mortality. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to study the misconceptions of parents of primary school children in Dammam, Khobar, and Dhahran about the use of antibiotics for upper respiratory tract (URT) symptoms; and also study perceptions, attitudes, and behavior toward antibiotic use and identify the factors affecting this. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analytic cross-sectional study of parents in three large cities: Dammam, Khobar, and Dhahran in Saudi Arabia. Study population was parents of children studying in these schools, and were selected multistgae sampling and proportional to population size (PPS). RESULTS: The questionnaire was distributed to 1306 parents. The response rate was 78.9%, 56.6% respondents were mothers with a mean age of 40 ± 7. Sixty-seven percent of the parents admitted to self-prescription once or more, and the most common reason for self-prescribing, was because they thought the child was not ill enough to be taken to hospital (41.8%). This was followed by 37.7% who used “leftovers”. Regarding the attitude toward antibiotic prescription, 62.5% agreed that children should not be given an antibiotic when they have a fever and nasal congestion. In addition, 63.5% agreed that they should give their child antibiotic for ear or throat pain. Around two-thirds agreed that upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) was caused by a virus. Those who obtained their information from primary health-care centers and general practitioners had the lowest median of total knowledge score, and the highest knowledge was for those who obtained information from websites and the social media. Multiple linear regressions revealed that parents whose incomes were high, had high education, had children in private schools were more likely to have good knowledge and highly favorable attitudes and practices toward antibiotic use. CONCLUSION: Thirteen percent had an excellent knowledge, and 52.7% had an intermediate level of knowledge. Of those with excellent knowledge, 58.6% still expected to get antibiotic prescription from a physician for URTI.