Driving antibiotic stewardship awareness through the minibus-taxi community across the Tshwane District, South Africa—a baseline evaluation

BACKGROUND: The minibus-taxi community plays an integral role within society, and for years this community has been neglected. Of late, studies on minibus-taxi operators’ health and their perceptions of HIV have emerged. Antibiotic resistance is a global problem and to help curb its spread studies have looked into the knowledge, attitude and perceptions amongst students and healthcare professionals, and yet little to nothing is known about the minibus-taxi community. OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge and understanding of the minibus-taxi community on antibiotics and antibiotic resistance, and document indigenous antibiotic terminology used across the Tshwane District in Gauteng, South Africa. METHODS: A semi-structured questionnaire was adopted from WHO, translated into commonly spoken languages and administered to 83 minibus-taxi community members: 27 minibus-taxi operators and 56 commuters. A convenience sampling method was utilized in selecting the minibus-taxi ranks and routes. The questionnaire was later adapted to the minibus-taxi community’s busy lifestyle and a section added to document antibiotic terms. RESULTS: Seventy-one percent (n = 59) of the participants knew the importance of taking antibiotics as directed, while 64% (n = 53) believed it’s correct to share antibiotics. Seventy-five percent (n = 62) thought antibiotic resistance occurred in the human body. One misconception noted was that the minibus-taxi community thought antibiotics treated cold/flu and fever. Over 80% of the community were unfamiliar with antibiotic terminology. CONCLUSIONS: Several misconceptions were documented amongst the minibus-taxi community and, whilst highlighting the linguistic barriers for the term antibiotic resistance, we identified several enablers for public awareness and empowerment. Further studies are required to define appropriate indigenous terms for future educational antibiotic campaigns.