Parents› Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices towards the Use of Antibiotics without a Prescription among Yemeni Children under the Age of Five Years in Marib City

Abstract

Aims: The study is aimed to identify parent›s knowledge, attitudes and practices towards antibiotics use without a prescription among children under five years old in Marib City, Yemen and the factors affecting it.
Methodology: The researcher uses the descriptive analytical method, and a questionnaire applied to a sample of parents of children under the age of five years. The researcher analyzes the data with both the Excel program and SPSS program.
Results: The sample consists of (150) parents. The highest percentage was for males, as (60%), while (40%) were females. The study showed a high prevalence of self-medication behavior and giving children antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription, where more than half of the sample (52.0%) that responded to the questionnaire practiced this behavior. While (33.3%) had incorrect information about the ability of antibiotics to treat diseases caused by bacteria, and viruses in (38%) of cases respectively. Also the study showed that about a third of the sample (30.7%), of the research participants are ignorant, and have no information about bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
Conclusion and recommendation: There is a high prevalence of self-medication behavior, and giving children antibiotics, without a doctor›s prescription in the city of Marib, Yemen. And there was a lack of knowledge, attitudes and practices of parents towards this problem, in addition to parents› ignorance about the possibility of the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the study recommends increasing the level of awareness in the society in general and among the parents, in particular, about the seriousness of this behavior.