Opinions and attitudes of Serbian high school students regarding usage of antibiotics

Abstract

Proper usage of antibiotics is a rather important subject that is often overlooked in secondary education, which can provoke misconceptions among youth towards this important topic. The aim of the study was to examine the knowledge and habits regarding the usage of antibiotics in high school population. The research hypothesized that the students would have an acceptable level of basic knowledge on antibiotics and their usage, as students from all study programs are taught equally about antibiotics. The research also examined whether parents’ affiliation in healthcare influences their knowledge.

The study has discovered that most of the students have an acceptable knowledge on the matter, with 59% being acquainted with the antibiotics’ mechanism of functioning. The largest part (78%) was able to distinguish Paracetamol from antibiotics. However, as much as 41% identified that they have taken antibiotics from different time than prescribed and 31% admitted to having used antibiotics to treat viruses. A majority have identified their doctor as their source for advice about treatment (67%).

The research shows that students’ knowledge is generally constant among the groups, regardless of the study course or parents’ affiliation in healthcare. The only exception is that more students with parents’ working in healthcare have taken antibiotics for the time prescribed (p<0.05).

Overall, students have demonstrated good theoretical knowledge with habits that should be improved. Students need to be better acquainted with guidelines of proper usage through informative campaigns and school projects.