Objective: To determine the knowledge, attitude, and practices of antibiotics among the Kashmiri population.
Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study comprising of 391 respondents of either gender selected randomly using convenience sampling method from the population in Rawalakot and Sokasan, Azad Kashmir. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires comprising of 29 questions. A score was assigned to each correct response from the Likert scales used in each category. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.
Results: Out of 391 respondents, 229(57.25%) were male and 171(42.75%) were female. Mean age was 34.67±12.93 years. Most of the respondents portrayed poor knowledge and attitude towards antibiotics at 70.84% (n=277) and 76.21% (n=298), respectively. A small number exhibited moderate knowledge and attitude at 17.65% (n=69) and 13.30% (n=52) whereas very few respondents showed good knowledge (11.51%) and attitude (10.49%) towards antibiotics. A positive correlation of 0.384 was found between the knowledge and attitude scores.
Conclusion: The Kashmiri population has moderate to poor knowledge of antibiotics and their use. Therefore, there is a dire need to educate the population on the correct use of antibiotics to increase their effectiveness among this populace.
Key words: Antibiotics, antimicrobial resistance, knowledge, attitude, practice
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