Antibiotics Self Medication among Children: A Systematic Review
Open accessAbstract
The phenomenon of bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a rapidly growing global problem. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics as well as self-prescription are among the most important causes contributing to the growth of antibiotic resistance in humans. This systematic review describes the phenomenon of antibiotics self-medication (ASM) in children. The study was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science until July 2022. Published English language studies containing information regarding parents knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in self-administration of antibiotics in children were included. A total of 702 articles were identified, and 57 were selected. A higher prevalence of ASM among children was found in the Middle-East (34%), Africa (22%), Asia (20%) and South America (17%), while the lowest prevalence was found in Europe (8%). High distance from hospital, and low income, such as having more than one child, are related with an increased risk of ASM in children. Fever and cough can also promote the misuse of antibiotics by parents. A greater attention to the regulation of the sale of antimicrobial drugs can certainly limit the risk of self-medicating behavior.
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The prevalence of pediatric ASM in India falls below rates in the Middle East (34%) and specific countries including Jordan (39.2%), Mongolia (42.3%), Tanzania (47.7%), and Yemen (60%).
“However, the prevalence in India falls below the rates observed in the Middle East (34%) [34] and specific countries like Jordan (39.2%) [37], Mongolia (42.3%) [38], Tanzania (47.7%) [39], and Yemen (60%) [40].”
From Prevalence and associated factors of self-medication with antibiotics among pediatric population in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
The prevalence of pediatric ASM in India is comparable to rates in Africa (22%), Asia (20%), and South America (17%), but higher than in Europe (8%).
“This is comparable to rates reported in various regions globally, such as Africa (22%), Asia (20%), and South America (17%), but higher than in Europe (8%) [34].”
From Prevalence and associated factors of self-medication with antibiotics among pediatric population in India: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2025) · cites this paper as [34]
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References 75 · Cited by 71
Research works printed but not linked: 4
- Ecker, 2010, Caretakers knowledge, attitude and practices about antibiotics use in childrens in a setting where antibiotics are available without medical prescription, Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg., 83, 278
- Gungor, 2019, Evaluation of parents’ attitudes and behaviors related to the use of antibiotics in children, Turk. J. Pediatr. Dis., 13, 203
- Metlo, 2019, Evaluation of Sources of Information and Reasons for Self-Medication by Educated Parents Among Their Children in District Khairpur, Pakistan, Lat. Am. J. Pharm., 38, 110
- Chakraborty, 2012, Family self medication in children attending a tertiary care hospital in Northeast India, Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Res., 3, 4899
- Authors
- Bert, F., Previti, C., Calabrese, F., Scaioli, G., & Siliquini, R.
- Affiliations
- University of Turin (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Calabrese, Francesco
- Venue
- Antibiotics
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2022-11-09
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1583
- ISSN
- 2079-6382 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9687075
- OpenAlex
- W4308774034
- Cited by
- 71
- References
- 75
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 22 · 2023: 15
- FWCI
- 0.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Antibiotics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology › Antibiotic Use and Resistance
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Pollution › Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Medicine › Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria
- Keywords
- antibiotic self-medication, children, antimicrobial resistance, antibiotic misuse, parental knowledge, attitudes and practices, risk factors, distance to hospital, low income, fever and cough
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