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Cited by 60Antibiotic Use and ResistanceSocial Media in Health EducationInfection Control in Healthcare

Assessment of global antimicrobial resistance campaigns conducted to improve public awareness and antimicrobial use behaviours: a rapid systematic review

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Gilham, Ellie L., Pearce-Smith, Nicola, Carter, Vanessa, Ashiru-Oredope, Diane·2024·BMC Public Health
DOI 10.1186/s12889-024-17766-wPMC PMC10848528

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Abstract

Introduction: Public health campaigns with a well-defined outcome behaviour have been shown to successfully alter behaviour. However, the complex nature of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) creates challenges when evaluating campaigns aimed at raising awareness and changing behaviour. Aims: To determine what campaigns have been conducted and which reported being effective at improving awareness of antimicrobial resistance and changing behaviour around antimicrobial use in members of the public. It also sought to determine the outcome measures studies have used to assess campaign effectiveness. Methods: A systematic search of Ovid MEDLINE and Embase, was conducted in October 2022 using a predefined search strategy. Studies which were published between 2010 and September 2022 that outlined a campaign or invention aimed at the public and focusing on AMR or antibiotic usage were eligible for inclusion and studies which solely targeted healthcare professionals (HCP) were excluded. Results: Literature searches retrieved 6961 results. De-duplication and screening removed 6925 articles, five articles from grey literature and reference screening were included, giving a total of 41 studies and 30 unique interventions. There was a distribution of campaigns globally with the majority run in Europe ( n = 15) with most campaigns were conducted nationally ( n = 14). Campaigns tended to focus on adult members of the public ( n = 14) or targeted resources towards both the public and HCPs ( n = 13) and predominately assessed changes in knowledge of and/or attitudes towards AMR ( n = 16). Campaigns where an improvement was seen in their primary outcome measure tended to use mass media to disseminate information, targeted messaging towards a specific infection, and including the use of HCP-patient interactions. Discussion: This review provides some evidence that campaigns can significantly improve outcome measures relating to AMR and antibiotic usage. Despite a lack of homogeneity between studies some common themes emerged between campaigns reported as being effective. However, the frequent use of observational study designs makes it difficult to establish causation between the campaign and changes seen in the studies outcome measures. It is important that clear evaluation processes are embedded as part of the design process for future campaigns; a campaign evaluation framework for use by campaign developers may facilitate this.

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  • This result appears consistent with findings from other systematic reviews both within and outside SSA, as none of the reviews reported AMR interventions specifically tailored to accommodate persons living with disabilities.

    “This result appears consistent with findings from other systematic reviews both within and outside SSA, as none of the reviews reported AMR interventions specifically tailored to accommodate persons living with disabilities.11 13 16 20 21”

    From Public-targeted interventions addressing antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review (2025) · cites this paper as [11]

    The Results > Target population section lists the campaigns’ main audiences, but it does not assess whether interventions were tailored to accommodate persons living with disabilities. Searches for disability, disabled people, and accessibility found no passage addressing that question, so the absence of such an intervention from the list does not establish the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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Authors
Gilham, E. L., Pearce-Smith, N., Carter, V., & Ashiru-Oredope, D.
Affiliations
  • UK Health Security Agency (GB)
  • University of Nottingham (GB)
Corresponding author
Ashiru-Oredope, Diane
ORCID
Venue
BMC Public Health
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2024-02-06
Volume
24
Issue
1
Pages
396-396
ISSN
1471-2458 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12889-024-17766-w
PMC
PMC10848528
OpenAlex
W4391559622
Cited by
60
References
76
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 1
FWCI
2.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Department of Health and Social Care
  • University of Warwick
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
  • Social Sciences › Health › Social Media in Health Education
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Infection Control in Healthcare
Keywords
antimicrobial resistance, public health campaigns, public awareness, campaign effectiveness, mass media, health professional-patient communication, knowledge and attitudes
MeSH terms
Adult, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Europe, Health Promotion, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Observational Studies as Topic

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