ArticleBMJ open2019
Public understanding and use of antibiotics in England: findings from a household survey in 2017.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 30 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
30 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 59 citations in OpenAlex.
- Assessment of global antimicrobial resistance campaigns conducted to improve public awareness and antimicrobial use behaviours: a rapid systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- The effects of communicating illness diagnostic and treatment information and C-reactive protein test results on people's antibiotic expectations.British journal of health psychology · 2025Trial
- Antibiotic knowledge among ethnic minority groups in high-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Review
- Enhancing antimicrobial stewardship and health literacy in Europe - moving forward through education and empowerment.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2026Article
- [Antibiotic use: psychological factors influencing perceptions and behavior of physicians and patients].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2026Review
- Development of a capability framework for antimicrobial stewardship specialist health professionals working in the NHS in England: utilizing Delphi methodology.The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy · 2026Review
- Public knowledge and attitudes towards antibiotic use across England - pre- and post-pandemic.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Social determinants of health and knowledge, attitude and practice studies on antimicrobial resistance-an evidence review and future direction.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Combatting antimicrobial resistance amidst the era of economic crisis: Public perceptions and antibiotic practices in Lebanon.Journal of public health research · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards Antibiotic Use and Resistance Among Non-Medical University Students, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Knowledge, Attitudes, Motivations, Expectations, and Systemic Factors Regarding Antimicrobial Use Amongst Community Members Seeking Care at the Primary Healthcare Level: A Scoping Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- A qualitative process evaluation of a nasal spray intervention to prevent respiratory tract infections.PloS one · 2025Article
- Evaluation of antibiotics returned for safe disposal during and after a community pharmacy antibiotic amnesty campaign.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Article
- Patient and public understanding of antimicrobial resistance: a systematic review and meta-ethnography.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2024Review
- A confirmation of the predictive utility of the Antibiotic Use Questionnaire.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Assessing the impact of a national social marketing campaign for antimicrobial resistance on public awareness, attitudes, and behaviour, and as a supportive tool for healthcare professionals, England, 2017 to 2019.Euro surveillance : bulletin Europeen sur les maladies transmissibles = European communicable disease bulletin · 2023Article
- Misconceptions and Knowledge Gaps on Antibiotic Use and Resistance in Four Healthcare Settings and Five European Countries-A Modified Delphi Study.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of Egyptians towards antibiotic use in the community: can we do better?Antimicrobial resistance and infection control · 2023Article
- An antibiotic amnesty can be a One Health tool to tackle antimicrobial resistance.Nature medicine · 2023Article
- Understanding antibiotic-seeking behaviour: A qualitative case study of mothers of children aged 5 and under.Journal of advanced nursing · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo describe public understanding and use of antibiotics.
designIpsos MORI Capibus survey of randomly-selected households.
settingEngland, January-April 2017.
participants2283 adults (≥15 years) including 777 parents of children <5 years old. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The main survey was undertaken in January 2017 (n=1691); data from an additional sample of parents were collected in April 2017 (n=592). Analyses were weighted to obtain estimates representative of the population.
main outcome measuresResponses to questions about antibiotics (awareness and perceptions), recent illness (expectations and experience), delayed and leftover antibiotics, and child illness stratified by demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.
resultsMost respondents (83% (1404/1691)) recognised that antibiotics kill bacteria/treat bacterial infections, but a sizeable minority (35% (592/1691)) thought that antibiotics kill viruses/treat viral infections. Overall levels of understanding have not changed substantially since similar surveys in 2003 and 2008/2009. One sixth of respondents who were prescribed antibiotics reported having leftovers (14% (64/498)) and 33% (22/64) kept these for possible future use. 1.3% of all respondents (23/1691) reported taking left-over antibiotics in the past year and 1.6% (26/1691) reported taking antibiotics obtained without a prescription. Higher social grade and educational qualifications were strongly positively associated with antibiotic knowledge; youngest (15-24 years), oldest (65 +years) and black, Asian and minority ethnic adults were less knowledgeable. Among 1319 respondents who had an infection or antibiotics within the past year, 43% (568/1319) said that they had not received any advice or information about antibiotics.
conclusionsDespite many campaigns, public understanding of antibiotics in England continues to combine correct basic knowledge held by most people with less prevalent but persistent and potentially harmful misunderstandings. These could be addressed through active provision of advice and information during primary and secondary care consultations and more effective public health interventions.
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