ArticleBMC infectious diseases2014
Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of parents in rural China on the use of antibiotics in children: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 99 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
99 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 220 citations in OpenAlex.
- Should my child be given antibiotics? A systematic review of parental decision making in rural and remote locations.Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2024Pooled it
- Prevalence and risk factors for antibiotic utilization in Chinese children.BMC pediatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Factors influencing inappropriate use of antibiotics in outpatient and community settings in China: a mixed-methods systematic review.BMJ global health · 2020Pooled it
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- Procalcitonin guidance for reduction of antibiotic use in patients hospitalized with severe acute exacerbations of asthma: a randomized controlled study with 12-month follow-up.Critical care (London, England) · 2014Trial
- Impact of pharmaceutical intervention on the use of intravenous antibiotics in patients with bacterial upper respiratory tract infections: protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Parental practices and perspectives on unused pediatric medications at home: A community-based cross-sectional study in Burdur-Türkiye.PloS one · 2026Article
- Determinants of Maternal Self-Medication Practice for Children Under 5 Years of Age: A Community-Based Study in Dessie, Ethiopia.International journal of pediatrics · 2026Article
- Social determinants of self-medication practice by caregivers among pediatrics population in Pakistan: a logistic regression analysis of a prospective cross-sectional study.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Article
- Healthcare quality in rural Armenia: Focus group perceptions : Healthcare quality in rural Armenia.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Understanding antibiotic misuse in Kazakhstan: insights from the WHO behavioral survey on COVID-19.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Public understanding and misuse of antibiotics in China: insights from a comprehensive national survey.The Lancet regional health. Western Pacific · 2025Article
- Parental knowledge, attitudes and practices on the use of antibiotics among their children in Jordan: a cross-sectional study.BMJ paediatrics open · 2025Article
- Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding antibiotic use and resistance among university students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional survey study.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2025Article
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- Article
- Antimicrobial Stewardship in Pediatric Emergency Medicine: A Narrative Exploration of Antibiotic Overprescribing, Stewardship Interventions, and Performance Metrics.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Factors contributing to antibiotic misuse among parents of school-going children in Dhaka City, Bangladesh.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Influences on treatment-seeking and antibiotic use for common illnesses in eastern China.BMC public health · 2023Article
39 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe purpose of the study was to investigate parents' perceptions of antibiotic use for their children, interactions between parents and physicians regarding treatment with antibiotics, and factors associated with parents self-medicating children with antibiotics.
methodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in vaccination clinics in two rural Chinese counties. Primary caregivers (the child's parents in 97% of cases) visiting these clinics for the vaccination of their young children were given a 55-item structured questionnaire to collect information on the parents' knowledge and attitudes regarding when, why, and how to use antibiotics and on their practices of purchasing antibiotics and medicating children.
resultsOf the 854 participating primary caregivers, 79% thought antibiotics could cure viral infections, and half believed that antibiotics could shorten the duration of upper respiratory tract infection. Parents reported a median of two hospital visits for their children during the previous 6 months, equal to the median number of antibiotic prescriptions received from physicians. Sixty-two percent of the parents had self-medicated their children with antibiotics. Living in rural villages (Adj OR = 1.643, 95% CI: 1.108-2.436), raising more than one child (Adj OR = 2.174, 95% CI: 1.485-3.183), increasing age of child (Adj OR = 1.146, 95% CI: 1.037-1.266), purchasing antibiotics without a prescription (Adj OR = 6.264, 95% CI: 4.144-9.469), storing antibiotics at home (Adj OR = 2.792, 95% CI: 1.961-3.975) and good adherence to physicians' advice (Adj OR = 0.639, 95% CI: 0.451-0.906) were independently associated with self-medicating behavior.
conclusionsLow levels of knowledge on the use of antibiotics and a high prevalence of self-medicating children with antibiotics were observed among parents in rural China. Interventions for the rational use of antibiotics in children should focus on strengthening mass health education, improving effective communication between physicians and patients, and enforcing supervision of the sale of antibiotics in retail pharmacies.
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