Abstract: Self-medication and patient noncompliance are contributing
factors in antibiotic addiction. This essay describes the opinions
and practices of Maa n mothers on the use of antibiotics by their
offspring. A cross-sectional survey was one of the data collection
methods. We interviewed one hundred mothers who had given
antibiotics to their children between the ages of six and eleven.
Regression analysis and correlation tests were used to examine the
connections between the variables.
According to our findings, 42.2% of mothers either strongly
agreed or agreed that their child should take antibiotics in order to
recover from a cold or the flu more rapidly. Furthermore, 29.8%
of people were unaware of the negative consequences of
antibiotics. Of the participants, 35.8% did not take their antibiotics
as directed, and 28.9% of mothers reported pressuring their
general practitioners to write prescriptions for their children. Of
mothers, 75% indicated they did not believe that using antibiotics
for self-medication may lead to resistance, while 10.15 percent
claimed they had no knowledge of the topic. Regression analysisresults revealed that mothers decisions to provide antibiotics to
children with high fevers are strongly influenced by age group
(p<0.001).
Our results suggest that Maa n women do not handle their
prescriptions properly, and more attention should be paid to
teaching them about the risks associated with antibiotics, bacterial
resistance, and the need to avoid self-medication. Health
education, suitable legislation, and actions are needed to reverse
this and ensure Maa n utilizes antibiotics appropriately.
Keywords: Mother - Knowledge- Beliefs - Antibiotics –
Children