Further investigation into this demographic is essential for promoting responsible antibiotic stewardship and mitigating resistance on university campuses and beyond. Studies exploring self-medication, antibiotic sharing, and misconceptions among students are scarce, all of which contribute to antimicrobial resistance . Studies from England, Italy, and Cyprus highlight this trend, demonstrating that younger individuals report poorer antibiotic knowledge and higher misuse rates 15,16,17. Younger demographics, particularly university students, are globally recognized as high-risk groups for AR. Recent studies indicate that many individuals lack adequate knowledge about proper antibiotic use, contributing to the spread of resistance.<\/p>\n
As an integral and educated segment of society, students influence public health behaviors and community practices. A literature review identified only three studies on antibiotic KAP among healthcare students 9,10,11, with no published research on non-medical university students in Saudi Arabia 28,29,30. Public health campaigns should prioritize the 17\u201324 age group, as university students represent a pivotal demographic shaping health behaviors, yet are often excluded from antibiotic stewardship initiatives. Risky behaviors\u2014such as self-medication and sharing antibiotics without prescriptions\u2014were widespread, revealing a mismatch between partial awareness and actual practices 13,45,46,47,48,49.<\/p>\n
When it came to the field of study, the majority were enrolled in business programs (34.1%). Notably, the majority of participants were in the age group 19\u201320 years old (36.8%), unmarried (96.0%), female (60.0%), and of Saudi nationality (94.5%). All the questionnaires were reviewed before entering the data into the analysis program.<\/p>\n
This disparity aligns with the observation that science and engineering students, benefiting from biology\/microbiology-rich curricula and practical lab work, demonstrate enhanced antibiotic understanding and practices, thus contributing to improved public health literacy. This study used Pearson\u2019s Chi-Square test to explore the relationship between antibiotic knowledge, attitudes, and practices and demographic factors, after confirming the test\u2019s assumptions, notably that expected cell frequencies were above five. Logistic regression model was computed to identify predictors of inadequate knowledge, negative attitude, and poor practices towards antibiotics use. Data on knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding antibiotic use were collected via a structured, pretested questionnaire.<\/p>\n
This study provides vital data for public health initiatives and informs effective strategies to promote responsible antibiotic use. This study reveals a significant lack of knowledge and understanding about AR among non-medical university students. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other global health agencies advocate for integrated public health strategies to fight MDROs, particularly among university students.<\/p>\n
This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward AR among non-medical university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to identify factors influencing antibiotic use. Including non-medical university students in this study is critical due to their heightened risk of antibiotic misuse, lack of formal medical training to guide appropriate use, and potential influence on public health behaviors. Table 3 illustrates the analysis of the association between sociodemographic characteristics and sufficient knowledge, positive attitude, and appropriate practice of antibiotics among university students and reveals several significant patterns.
\nSome questions reflected tendencies toward misuse, such as believing antibiotics should be accessible without a prescription, sharing them with family members without medical consultation, or using them to prevent the worsening of illness. All non-medical students in any public or private university in Riyadh, regardless of their nationalities, genders, or fields of study, were included, whereas visiting students or medical students were excluded from the study. A cross-sectional design was used to measure the level of awareness of antibiotic misuse that leads to AR among students in public and private universities of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, due to limited antibiotic education, non-medical students frequently misuse antibiotics\u2014taking them without prescriptions, using leftover medication, sharing antibiotics, or discontinuing treatment early. For example, while many refrain from sharing leftover antibiotics\u2014considered a positive behavior\u2014negative attitudes toward antibiotic use persist.<\/p>\n
Students may lack awareness of pharmacists\u2019 expertise, highlighting an opportunity to diversify accessible, trusted healthcare sources for public education. However, expanding awareness to include pharmacists\u2014equally qualified to educate on antibiotic use and resistance\u2014is critical. Such contradiction is probably due to the inclusion in their sample with all age groups rather than a young population of university students . As depicted in Table 1, among the 672 participants involved in this study, the mean age of the students was 20.2 years \u00b1standard deviation (SD) 1.8. Further investigation into this demographic is essential for promoting responsible antibiotic stewardship and mitigating resistance on university campuses and beyond. Studies exploring self-medication, antibiotic sharing, and misconceptions among students are scarce, all of which contribute to antimicrobial resistance . Studies from England, Italy, and Cyprus highlight this trend, demonstrating that younger individuals report poorer antibiotic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[211],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-partners"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","woocommerce_thumbnail":"","woocommerce_single":"","woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Adam Dimm","author_link":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/author\/adamdimm\/"},"category_info":"Partners<\/a>","tag_info":"Partners","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19046\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/owendimm.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWhile our study primarily focused on university students within Riyadh, we acknowledge that nationality could indeed play a role. Students from literary fields were the most likely to have insufficient knowledge, attitudes, and practices, while those in science and engineering showed better outcomes. While overall awareness and behavior appear positive, nearly four in ten students lack proper understanding and engagement in AR practices. The study https:\/\/www.betsomnia-nl.nl\/<\/a> converted all antibiotic-related knowledge, attitude, and practice scores into percentages to standardize scoring and classify proficiency levels.
\nWhile these trends align with regional studies, they contrast with European data 15,16,40,50,51, likely reflecting cultural or institutional differences in health education. Factors such as cultural health beliefs, access to healthcare information, and variations in national health policies could all contribute to differences in awareness. In our Riyadh-based sample, participants were predominantly Saudi nationals, reflecting the local university demographics. Age is one factor linked to less responsible antibiotic behaviors, suggesting certain groups are more prone to misuse. Inappropriate antibiotic use, which is concerning, fuels antibiotic resistance. Since 2018, Saudi Arabia\u2019s Ministry of Health has enforced regulations under the Health Practice Law, prohibiting pharmacists from dispensing antibiotics without a valid prescription from a licensed physician.
\nThe findings in Table 2 indicate that the majority of university students demonstrated sufficient knowledge (59.1%), positive attitude (60.0%), and appropriate practice (60.6%) regarding antibiotic resistance. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward AR among non-medical university students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and identify factors that influence antibiotic use. Association between sociodemographic characteristics and sufficient knowledge, attitude, and practice of antibiotics among university students.
\nOn the other hand, literary students had 52.2% lower odds of sufficient knowledge compared to sciences students. Notably, students aged 19\u201320 demonstrated the highest rates of insufficient knowledge and unsafe behaviors compared to other age groups. In terms of university affiliation, IMSU had the highest representation, with 54.0% of participants. Although the dataset contained minimal missing values, specifically about ten instances within the attitude assessment, mean imputation was employed to address these gaps. A 60% proficiency threshold\u2014determined through pilot study analyses (mean and median of knowledge scores)\u2014was adopted to assess adequacy across domains. Additional questions assessed understanding of antibiotic side effects and the perceived efficacy of alternative medicine as a substitute.
\nProposed strategies include integrating AR education into university curricula, launching campus-wide campaigns (e.g., digital outreach, mandatory health literacy modules), and partnering with pharmacies to reinforce responsible practices. This suggests that the majority of participants had a moderate level of practice towards antibiotic use, similar to the reported findings from university student in Nepal and in line with the almost around the global average of 56%, according to the 2020 WHO survey . Overall, the study highlights the need for interventions to improve students\u2019 understanding of AR and promote appropriate practices. However, nationality and university affiliation showed no significant associations across knowledge, attitude, or practice, with all p-values greater than 0.05. Specifically, 43% (289 out of 672) of the participants demonstrated an adequate understanding of antibiotic resistance, while the remaining 57% (383 out of 672) exhibited an inadequate knowledge of this topic. These behaviors increase the prevalence of resistant infections, leading to harder-to-treat diseases, higher healthcare costs, and increased outbreak risks on university campuses and within the broader community, posing a significant public health threat .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"