Table 4.
Knowledge caregivers have about self-medication
| Question | Response | Cases | % | Controls | % | OR | CI 95% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N=182 | N=546 | - | - | ||||
| Acetaminophen | Does not work for infections | 124 | 68 | 397 | 73 | (Ref) | |
| It is better than an antibiotic | 4 | 2 | 11 | 2 | 1.16 | 0.36- 3.72 | |
| It works like an antibiotic | 11 | 6 | 24 | 4 | 1.46 | 0.69- 3.08 | |
| I don’t know | 43 | 24 | 114 | 21 | 1.21 | 0.80- 1.81 | |
| Antibiotics | Do not work for the common cold. | 74 | 41 | 265 | 49 | (Ref) | |
| Work the same as acetaminophen. | 1 | 1 | 17 | 3 | 0.22 | 0.03- 1.61 | |
| Work for the common cold. | 53 | 29 | 122 | 22 | 1.55 | 1.03- 2.35 | |
| I don’t know | 54 | 30 | 142 | 26 | 1.36 | 0.91- 2.04 | |
| When an infection is caused by a virus, the ideal treatment is an antibiotic. | False | 35 | 19 | 188 | 34 | (Ref) | |
| True | 97 | 53 | 225 | 41 | 2.31 | 1.50- 3.56 | |
| I don’t know | 50 | 27 | 133 | 24 | 2.01 | 1.24- 3.28 | |
| When an infection is caused by a virus, an antibiotic will shorten the duration of the infection. | False | 26 | 14 | 135 | 25 | (Ref) | |
| True | 121 | 66 | 271 | 50 | 2.29 | 1.43- 3.66 | |
| I don’t know | 35 | 19 | 140 | 26 | 1.29 | 0.74- 2.26 | |
| Antibiotics are very safe drugs and do not cause any adverse effects. | False | 84 | 46 | 278 | 51 | (Ref) | |
| True | 35 | 19 | 25 | 23 | 0.93 | 0.59- 1.45 | |
| I don’t know | 63 | 35 | 143 | 26 | 1.45 | 0.99- 2.14 | |
| Antibiotics increase the risk of bacterial resistance. | False | 85 | 47 | 162 | 48 | (Ref) | |
| True | 14 | 8 | 56 | 10 | 0.77 | 0.41- 1.45 | |
| I don’t know | 83 | 46 | 228 | 42 | 1.12 | 0.79- 1.59 | |
| Antibiotics cause adverse effects such as diarrhea and rash. | False | 88 | 48 | 317 | 58 | (Ref) | |
| True | 26 | 14 | 74 | 14 | 0.78 | 0.47- 1.29 | |
| I don’t know | 68 | 37 | 155 | 28 | 1.24 | 0.73- 2.10 | |
| There are many new antibiotics for treating infections. | False | 7 | 4 | 39 | 7 | (Ref) | |
| True | 87 | 48 | 235 | 43 | 0.48 | 0.20- 1.12 | |
| I don’t know | 88 | 48 | 272 | 50 | 0.87 | 0.61- 1.23 | |
| Antibiotics should be used when one has a fever. | False | 112 | 62 | 380 | 70 | (Ref) | |
| True | 39 | 21 | 92 | 17 | 1.44 | 0.93- 2.21 | |
| I don’t know | 31 | 17 | 74 | 14 | 1.42 | 0.88- 2.27 | |
| In Colombia, the level of self-medication is low | False | 122 | 67 | 383 | 70 | (Ref) | |
| True | 30 | 16 | 78 | 14 | 1.21 | 0.75- 1.93 | |
| I don’t know | 30 | 16 | 85 | 16 | 1.10 | 0.69- 1.76 | |
| Antibiotics should be discontinued when the fever is gone. | False | 78 | 43 | 319 | 58 | (Ref) | |
| True | 81 | 45 | 157 | 29 | 2.11 | 1.46- 3.03 | |
| I don’t know | 23 | 13 | 70 | 13 | 1.36 | 0.80- 2.30 |
In italics are the reference categories for group comparisons and in bold are statistically significant categories
Only one response was accepted, caregivers were instructed to select the best single response
OR Odds ratio, CI 95% 95% confidence interval