Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Antibiotic Use among University Students: A Cross Sectional Study in Mansoura University - Egypt

Background: Antibiotic resistance has become a marker of irrational and overuse of Antibiotics in many countries. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of antibiotic use among Mansoura University students in Egypt.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 810 students, randomly chosen from medical and non-medical faculties at Mansoura University, Egypt. A predesigned pre-tested interview questionnaire was used to assess their KAP of antibiotic use.

Results: Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS software, revealing that 93.2%, 90.1%, 93.3% of the studied students had poor knowledge, poor attitude and poor practice of antibiotic use, respectively. The most significant predictive factors for poor KAP were young age and being non-medical students. The need for educational programs targeting University students is very crucial in combating this problem.

Keywords: Antibiotic abuse -Self medications-University Students, knowledge, attitude, practice.