Đanić Maja, Pavlović Nebojša, Ostojić Tijana, Marković Nikolija, Stanimirov Bojan, Lazarević Slavica, Mikov Momir
Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Serbia.
Front Immunol. 2025 Sep 1;16:1601876. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1601876. eCollection 2025.
Considering the crucial role of the gut microbiome in children's immunity and overall health, there is increasing interest in the use of probiotics for children. Insufficient parental awareness may result in the underuse of probiotics in appropriate clinical situations, improper strain selection, incorrect therapy duration, and overlooking potential drug interactions, all of which can undermine their efficacy and safety. Therefore, this study aimed to assess parents' knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding probiotic use in preschool-aged children in Serbia, along with the factors influencing these aspects.
The study was conducted using an anonymous electronic survey distributed via social media to parents of children aged 1-7 years in Serbia. A binary logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors associated with parental knowledge and attitudes toward probiotic use.
The study included 1,625 parents. The median knowledge score of all respondents was 7.0 (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-8), while the median attitude score was 26.0 (IQR: 23-29), based on their respective scales (0-10 for knowledge and 7-35 for attitude) with significant differences ( < 0.001) between parents who used probiotics for their preschool children in the past year (62.5%) and those who did not (37.5%). The most common indications for probiotic use were alongside antibiotic therapy reported by 75.2% of parents, and for gastrointestinal issues, stated by 69.3% of parents. Parents showed the least knowledge about the strain-specific effects of probiotics and their interactions with medications. Although overall attitudes were moderately positive, approximately 50% of parents expressed doubts about probiotic efficacy. Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher parental education, occupation related to health care, longer duration of probiotic use, and consideration of probiotic strain selection significantly increased the odds of having adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward probiotics.
The study revealed that the majority of parents lack adequate knowledge about probiotics and exhibit some skepticism regarding their effectiveness, which is reflected in their practical use for their children. Therefore, the role of healthcare professionals and pediatricians is crucial in educating parents about probiotics, offering guidance on their benefits, proper usage, and the selection of the most appropriate products.
鉴于肠道微生物群在儿童免疫力和整体健康中发挥的关键作用，人们对儿童使用益生菌的兴趣与日俱增。家长认识不足可能导致在适当的临床情况下益生菌使用不足、菌株选择不当、治疗疗程错误以及忽视潜在的药物相互作用，所有这些都会削弱其疗效和安全性。因此，本研究旨在评估塞尔维亚学龄前儿童家长在益生菌使用方面的知识、态度和做法，以及影响这些方面的因素。
本研究采用匿名电子调查问卷，通过社交媒体分发给塞尔维亚1至7岁儿童的家长。采用二元逻辑回归模型分析与家长对益生菌使用的知识和态度相关的因素。
该研究纳入了1625名家长。所有受访者的知识得分中位数为7.0（四分位间距[IQR]：6 - 8），态度得分中位数为26.0（IQR：23 - 29），基于各自的量表（知识量表为0 - 10分，态度量表为7 - 35分），在过去一年中为学龄前儿童使用过益生菌的家长（62.5%）和未使用过的家长（37.5%）之间存在显著差异（<0.001）。益生菌使用最常见的指征是75.2%的家长报告在抗生素治疗期间使用，69.3%的家长表示用于胃肠道问题。家长对益生菌的菌株特异性作用及其与药物的相互作用了解最少。尽管总体态度较为积极，但约50%的家长对益生菌的疗效表示怀疑。逻辑回归分析显示，家长受教育程度较高、从事与医疗保健相关的职业、益生菌使用时间较长以及考虑益生菌菌株选择，显著增加了拥有足够知识和对益生菌持积极态度的几率。
该研究表明，大多数家长对益生菌缺乏足够的了解，并且对其有效性表现出一定的怀疑态度，这在他们给孩子实际使用益生菌的过程中有所体现。因此，医疗保健专业人员和儿科医生在教育家长了解益生菌、就其益处、正确用法以及最合适产品的选择提供指导方面的作用至关重要。
