Atem Tambe Daniel, Singh Ruby, Newbury-Birch Dorothy, Pal Biplab, Chaudhary Vaibhav
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India.
Department of Pharmacology, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, 144411, India.
BMC Pediatr. 2025 Jun 4;25(1):451. doi: 10.1186/s12887-025-05676-8.
Antibiotic resistance presents a substantial threat to global public health. One of the primary contributors to antibiotic resistance is the irrational use of antibiotics. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence and associated factors of antibiotic self-medication (ASM) practices among the pediatric population in India.
A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar to identify relevant articles published up to December 2024. Inclusion criteria included studies reporting the prevalence rate of ASM practices among the pediatric population in India. Quality assessment of the included studies was conducted using the JBI tool for prevalence studies. Data were extracted using a standardized form and analyzed using R software with a random-effects model.
Seventeen studies involving 7847 children were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of pediatric ASM in India was 19.8% (95% CI: 13.5; 28.2; I = 98.2%; p < 0.01). Regional disparities were observed (p < 0.01), with the northern region exhibiting the highest prevalence at 30.7%. No significant difference in prevalence was found between studies that recruited participants from hospital and community settings (p = 0.0552). Key factors associated with pediatric ASM included financial constraints, time constraints, perceptions of mild illness, and limited healthcare access. Common sources for procuring antibiotics were local pharmacies, leftover medications, and friends/family members. Information sources regarding the use of antibiotics included previous prescriptions, friends/family members, media, past experiences, and pharmacists. The mean duration of antibiotic consumption was 2.5 days.
Self-medication with antibiotics was prevalent among the pediatric population in India. Therefore, government and policymakers should take necessary measures to promote the responsible use of antibiotics.
抗生素耐药性对全球公共卫生构成重大威胁。抗生素耐药性的主要促成因素之一是抗生素的不合理使用。本研究旨在全面评估印度儿科人群中抗生素自我药疗（ASM）行为的流行情况及相关因素。
在PubMed、Embase、Scopus和谷歌学术中进行全面检索，以识别截至2024年12月发表的相关文章。纳入标准包括报告印度儿科人群中ASM行为患病率的研究。使用JBI患病率研究工具对纳入研究进行质量评估。数据采用标准化表格提取，并使用R软件和随机效应模型进行分析。
分析了17项涉及7847名儿童的研究。印度儿科ASM的合并患病率为19.8%（95%CI：13.5；28.2；I² = 98.2%；p < 0.01）。观察到地区差异（p < 0.01），北部地区患病率最高，为30.7%。在从医院和社区环境招募参与者的研究之间，患病率没有显著差异（p = 0.0552）。与儿科ASM相关的关键因素包括经济限制、时间限制、对轻症的认知以及医疗服务获取有限。购买抗生素的常见来源是当地药店、剩余药物以及朋友/家庭成员。关于抗生素使用的信息来源包括以前的处方、朋友/家庭成员、媒体、过去的经验以及药剂师。抗生素消费的平均时长为2.5天。
抗生素自我药疗在印度儿科人群中普遍存在。因此，政府和政策制定者应采取必要措施，促进抗生素的合理使用。
