School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2018 Oct 24;13(10):e0204878. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204878. eCollection 2018.
Antimicrobial resistance is a global public health problem with some socially patterned drivers. The objective of the study was to investigate associations between use of and trust in the Internet as a source of health-related information and the public's knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours regarding antibiotics.
Two representative cross-sectional surveys (the 2015 Wellcome Monitor (n = 1524) and UK segment (n = 1330) of the 2016 Eurobarometer 85.1) covering knowledge about antibiotics and antibiotic consumption were analysed. Knowledge, attitude, and behaviour variables were analysed using regression in relation to demographic characteristics and use and trust in the Internet as a source of information.
The key findings of the analysis are that both use of the Internet as a source of medical research information (variable from the Wellcome Monitor) and trust in the Internet as a source of information about antibiotics (variable from the Eurobarometer) were independently and positively associated with knowledge, attitude, and behaviour regarding antibiotics. Additionally, knowledge about antibiotics was positively associated with behaviour with antibiotics (Wellcome Monitor) and attitude towards finishing antibiotic prescriptions (Eurobarometer). Higher levels of education were associated with better knowledge about antibiotics in both datasets. Older age was positively associated with behaviour and attitude regarding antibiotic consumption.
The Internet is a resource for disseminating quality health information that has the potential to improve stewardship of antibiotics in the community. This study suggests that members of the UK public that use the Internet as a source of health-related information are more likely to be better informed about, and be more responsible with, antibiotics. This mode of information dissemination should be capitalised on to improve antimicrobial stewardship, and further research should examine what the most effective online information sources are in the UK and to what extent their association with behaviour is causal.
抗菌药物耐药性是一个具有某些社会模式驱动因素的全球公共卫生问题。本研究的目的是调查人们对互联网作为健康相关信息来源的使用和信任与公众对抗生素的知识、态度和行为之间的关系。
对 2016 年欧洲晴雨表 85.1 年的 2015 年威康信托监测（n=1524）和英国部分（n=1330）的两项具有代表性的横断面调查中有关抗生素的知识和抗生素使用情况进行了分析。使用回归分析方法，根据人口统计学特征以及对互联网作为信息来源的使用和信任情况，分析了知识、态度和行为变量。
分析的主要结果是，将互联网作为医学研究信息来源的使用（威康信托监测中的变量）和对互联网作为抗生素信息来源的信任（欧洲晴雨表中的变量）均与对抗生素的知识、态度和行为独立且呈正相关。此外，对抗生素的了解与抗生素使用行为（威康信托监测）和对抗生素处方完成态度（欧洲晴雨表）呈正相关。在两个数据集中国民教育程度越高，对抗生素的了解程度越高。年龄越大，与抗生素消费行为和态度越呈正相关。
互联网是传播优质健康信息的资源，具有改善社区对抗生素管理的潜力。本研究表明，英国公众中使用互联网作为健康相关信息来源的人群更有可能对抗生素有更多的了解，并且更负责任地使用抗生素。这种信息传播模式应加以利用，以改善抗菌药物管理，进一步的研究应考察英国最有效的在线信息来源是什么，以及它们与行为的关联在多大程度上是因果关系。
