Table 1.
Demographic characteristics (distributions and percentages) and common trends of antibiotic use (rational or irrational) among antibiotic users of the study participants (N = 681).
| Variables | Options | Number (N) | Percentage (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | Male | 450 | 66.07 |
| Female | 231 | 33.92 | |
| Age (years) | 18–25 | 423 | 62.11 |
| 26–50 | 246 | 36.12 | |
| 50+ | 12 | 1.76 | |
| Study background | Science | 495 | 72.68 |
| Arts | 138 | 20.26 | |
| Commerce | 48 | 7.04 | |
| Highest education | 1st/2nd year | 151 | 22.17 |
| 3rd/4th/5th year | 225 | 33.03 | |
| Master's or higher | 305 | 44.78 | |
| Occupation | Student | 594 | 87.22 |
| Teacher | 87 | 12.77 | |
| Medication style | Doctor's prescription | 510 | 74.88 |
| Other ways | 171 | 25.12 | |
| Main reason for AB use | Fever, common cold, and cough | 342 | 50.22 |
| Dysentery/diarrhea/food poisoning | 69 | 10.13 | |
| Infection | 126 | 18.50 | |
| Abdominal/other pain | 45 | 6.60 | |
| Other reasons | 99 | 14.53 | |
| Duration of AB use (days) | 1–3 | 216 | 31.71 |
| 4–6 | 285 | 41.85 | |
| 7–10 | 93 | 13.65 | |
| Above 10 | 87 | 12.77 | |
| Completion of the dosage regimen | Yes | 480 | 70.48 |
| No | 201 | 29.51 | |
| Experience regarding AB was not working on you | Yes | 246 | 36.12 |
| No | 435 | 63.87 | |
| Lack of cautiousness about ABR | Yes | 405 | 59.47 |
| No | 276 | 40.52 |
Abbreviations: AB, antibiotic, ABR, World Health Organization antibiotic resistance.