KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF PRE-CONSULTATION USE OF ANTIBIOTICS FOR THE TREATMENT OF COMMON AILMENTS BY MOTHERS/CAREGIVERS OF UNDER-FIVE IN ILE LFE OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Samson Ayo Deji* and Tolulope Damilola Oyeniran

ABSTRACT

The use antibiotics by mothers without prescription by a doctor are of concern in developing countries because of the inherent danger. The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of pre-consultation use of antibiotics by mothers/caregivers of under five children in Ile Ife, Nigeria. This study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey. Four hundred and fifty mothers/caregivers of children aged 0-5 years in Ife Central Local Government Area were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data on the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude and practice concerning the pre-consultation use of antibiotics. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. The result showed that 62.9% of mothers were between ages 20-29 years, 423 (94%) were married while 415 (92.2%) had at least secondary education. Three hundred and forty-five (76.7%) of the index children were between the ages of 12 and 59 months. About 265 (58.9%) of mothers/caregivers had poor knowledge about the use of antibiotics, while 283 (62.9%) had good attitudes towards antibiotics usage. Only 177 (39.3%) respondents correctly named an antibiotic. Most frequently named antibiotic was co-trimoxazole (septrin) by 71.8% of the mothers. Pre-consultation use of antibiotics was significantly (p<0.05) associated with mothers’ education, occupation and child’sage. The study concluded that the mother/caregiver in the study had a poor knowledge about antibiotics.

Keywords: Mothers/Caregivers, pre-consultation, antibiotics, children.