Understanding Non-Medical Students' Perspectives on Antibiotic Usage: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Adequate knowledge on antibiotic usage among the public helps prevent patients from requesting doctors for antibiotics for self-limiting infectious diseases, thus contributing to minimising the development of antibiotic resistance. We aimed to assess knowledge and attitude regarding antibiotic usage among the non-medical students. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the non-medical students studying in any discipline other than health-care professional courses and aged 18 years and above. A pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. For every correct answer, a score of 1 was assigned and 0 for a wrong answer. Data was analysed using SPSS V 25 and represented as mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage. Results: A total of 428 participants consented and filled the form and the mean age was 22.71 (±2.38) years. Of the participants, 72.2% were male, and majority (30.1%) were from a Law & Business education background, followed by Finance & Economics (27.6%). Good knowledge and positive attitude were observed among 81.1% and 56.8% of the participants, respectively. Most participants correctly recognise antibiotics’ effectiveness against bacteria (91.6%) and understand antibiotic resistance as a national and familial concern (over 90%). Misconceptions persist among 75.9% as they believe antibiotics are effective against viral infections, and 76.6% consider their use as acceptable for mild cold. Conclusion: Our results show high knowledge (81.1%) among on non-medical students with 56.8% demonstrating a positive attitude. Though understanding is good among students, targeted interventions are needed to address misconceptions.