Knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning self‐medication with antibiotics among university students in western C hina

Objectives To evaluate the knowledge, attitude and behaviours of university students on the use of antibiotics. Methods A knowledge–attitude–practice questionnaire was developed and distributed to undergraduate students of X i'an J iaotong U niversity, comprising 18 schools/colleges in S haanxi P rovince, western C hina. Chi‐square test and logistic regression analysis were applied to identify risk factors associated with self‐medication with antibiotics. Results Of the 731 respondents (response rate = 73.1%), 294 (40.2%) had self‐medicated with antibiotics in the past 6 months. Most of the antibiotics (59.2%) for self‐medication were purchased without prescription in retail pharmacies. The median score of students' knowledge about antibiotics was 4 ( IQR : 3–6) of a maximum possible score of 10. Students had moderately accurate beliefs towards antibiotics. More than half of the students (56.5%) were storing antibiotics frequently. During self‐medication, 16.7% of students claimed to have experienced adverse reactions, and 30.6% had used antibiotics to prevent common colds. The majority preferred to use broad‐spectrum antibiotics, and nearly half preferred intravenous antibiotics. Over 44% of students had changed antibiotic dosage, and 36.5% had switched to another antibiotic during the treatment course. Logistic regression analysis identified college and home town as independent risk factors for self‐medication with antibiotics ( P  <   0.01). Conclusions Undergraduate students had inadequate knowledge, moderately accurate beliefs and inappropriate practices concerning antibiotics, and a high rate of self‐medication. This highlights the need for focused educational intervention and stricter governmental regulation concerning antibiotic use and sale in retail pharmacies.