Bhatt Vedika, Ponnampalavanar Sasheela Sri La Sri, Chong Chun Wie, Tang Li Yoong, Krishnasamy Karthikayini, Goh Sheron Sir Loon, Teh Cindy Shuan Ju
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
Healthcare (Basel). 2023 Aug 14;11(16):2284. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11162284.
(1) Background: Antibiotic resistance is a serious health issue, and raising public awareness of it is crucial to combating it. This study aimed to assess the socio-demographic factors associated with knowledge of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in Malaysia. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2022 and March 2023. Malaysian adults aged ≥18 years old and able to understand English or Malay were recruited. During data collection, the WHO questionnaire "Antibiotic Resistance, Multi-Country Public Awareness Survey" was used. Data were collected across 14 states in Malaysia. (3) Results: A total of 517 participants completed the questionnaire. Most participants were females (67.9%), aged 30-49 (46%), and from central Malaysia (69.8%). Most participants (98.5%) reported taking antibiotics. A misconception presented was that sore throats, fevers, colds, and flu can be treated with antibiotics. A total of 58.8% of participants had high knowledge of antibiotic usage (scores 12-15), while 64% had high knowledge of antibiotic resistance (scores 9-14). Findings indicate that increasing age, income, and education were associated with higher knowledge. (4) Conclusions: This study highlights the knowledge deficiency of antibiotic resistance among Malaysians. Educational programs should engage a younger and lower socio-economic population to increase awareness.
(1) 背景：抗生素耐药性是一个严重的健康问题，提高公众对其的认识对于对抗耐药性至关重要。本研究旨在评估马来西亚与抗生素及抗生素耐药性知识相关的社会人口学因素。(2) 方法：在2022年4月至2023年3月期间开展了一项横断面研究。招募了年龄≥18岁且能理解英语或马来语的马来西亚成年人。在数据收集过程中，使用了世界卫生组织的问卷“抗生素耐药性，多国公众意识调查”。数据在马来西亚的14个州收集。(3) 结果：共有517名参与者完成了问卷。大多数参与者为女性（67.9%），年龄在30 - 49岁之间（46%），来自马来西亚中部（69.8%）。大多数参与者（98.5%）报告服用过抗生素。存在的一个误解是喉咙痛、发烧、感冒和流感可用抗生素治疗。共有58.8%的参与者对抗生素使用有较高知识水平（得分12 - 15），而64%的参与者对抗生素耐药性有较高知识水平（得分9 - 14）。研究结果表明，年龄增长、收入增加和教育程度提高与更高的知识水平相关。(4) 结论：本研究凸显了马来西亚人在抗生素耐药性方面的知识不足。教育项目应针对更年轻和社会经济地位较低的人群，以提高认识。
