Evidence of superficial knowledge regarding antibiotics and their use: Results of two cross-sectional surveys in an urban informal settlement in Kenya
Open accessAbstract
We assessed knowledge and practices related to antibiotic use in Kibera, an urban informal settlement in Kenya. Surveys was employed at the beginning (entry) and again at the end (exit) of a 5-month longitudinal study of AMR. Two-hundred households were interviewed at entry, of which 149 were also interviewed at exit. The majority (>65%) of respondents in both surveys could name at least one antibiotic, with amoxicillin and cotrimoxazole jointly accounting for 85% and 77% of antibiotics mentioned during entry and exit, respectively. More than 80% of respondents felt antibiotics should not be shared or discontinued following the alleviation of symptoms. Nevertheless, 66% and 74% of respondents considered antibiotics effective for treating colds and flu in the entry and exit surveys, respectively. There was a high (87%, entry; 70% exit) level of reported antibiotic use (past 12 months) mainly for colds/flu, coughs and fever, with >80% of respondents obtaining antibiotics from health facilities and pharmacies. Less than half of respondents remembered getting information on the correct use of antibiotics, although 100% of those who did reported improved attitudes towards antibiotic use. Clinicians and community pharmacists were highly trusted information sources. Paired household responses (n = 149) generally showed improved knowledge and attitudes by the exit survey although practices were largely unchanged. Weak agreement (κ = -0.003 to 0.22) between survey responses suggest both that unintended learning had not occurred, and that participant responses were not based on established knowledge or behaviors. Targeted public education regarding antibiotics is needed to address this gap.
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Residents may not recall the types of antibiotics they have recently consumed or the frequency with which they have consumed them when self-reporting.
“Objective measurements are preferred since residents may not recall the types of”
From Urban informal settlements as hotspots of antimicrobial resistance and the need to curb environmental transmission. (2020) · cites this paper as [118]
The Discussion reports poor recall of antibiotic names among residents of the surveyed Kenyan villages, supporting the concern about self-reported types. The Results (Sources of antibiotics and antibiotic use practices) report whether respondents said they had used an antibiotic in the past year, but the paper does not establish that they misremembered how frequently they used antibiotics. (LLM, conf=0.85)
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- Authors
- Omulo, S., Thumbi, S. M., Lockwood, S., Verani, J. R., Bigogo, G., Masyongo, G., & Call, D. R.
- Affiliations
- Washington State University (US)
- Kenya Medical Research Institute (KE)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
- Corresponding author
- Call, Douglas R.
- ORCID
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2017-10-02
- Volume
- 12
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- e0185827
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5624622
- OpenAlex
- W2763187924
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 2.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ (vor)
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion, public-domain)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Allen School
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Life Sciences › Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics › Pharmacology › Pharmacy and Medical Practices
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Keywords
- antibiotic knowledge, antibiotic use, antibiotic resistance, informal settlements, Kibera, antibiotic prescribing, public health education, amoxicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, unintended learning
- MeSH terms
- Anti-Bacterial Agents, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Kenya, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Urban Health Services
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