Factors associated with inappropriate antibiotics use among the community members in Kyengera town council

Abstract

Misuse of antimicrobials is widespread in both humans and animals and includes dispensing over the counter, self-medication, and unlicensed medicine outlets among others. The consequences of AMR are severe. AMR leads to fewer treatment options and it results into prolonged hospital stay and increased cost of healthcare. In Uganda, a report by the Uganda National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) showed increasing trends in antimicrobial resistance in the country and yet Uganda is still faced with a high disease burden from infectious diseases including Tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia and sepsis as per the Annual Health Sector Performance Report (AHSPR) 2016/17. The semi structured questionnaires in English were administered by the researcher and her assistants in the study area of Kyengera Sub County to determine the magnitude and factors associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics. Poisson regression was employed to assess possible associations between different socio demographic variables and respondents‘ inappropriate use of antibiotics. The magnitude of inappropriate use of antibiotics 73.7% (266/361). This refers to respondents who obtained the antibiotics without a prescription. Of these respondents, 63.9%(170/266) were male and the rest were female. Individual factors that were associated with the inappropriate use of antibiotics include; male gender, illness due to injury, residence in urban settings, and having a regular job or source of income. Dissatisfaction with the health system was associated with inappropriate use of antibiotics.