The Rate of Antibiotic Utilization in Iranian Under 5-Year-Old Children With Acute Respiratory Tract Illness: A Nationwide Community-Based Study Publisher



Mostafavi N¹ ; Rashidian A² ; Karimishahanjarini A³ ; Khosravi A⁴ ; Kelishadi R⁵
Source: Journal of Research in Medical Sciences Published:2015

Abstract

Background: To investigate the prevalence of antibiotic usage in children aged <5 years with acute respiratory tract illness (ARTI) in Iran. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from a national health survey conducted in 2010 (Iran’s Multiple Indicator Demographic and Health Survey). Participants of this cross-sectional study were selected by multistage stratifi ed cluster-random sampling from 31 provinces of Iran. Parents of children with <5 years of age responded to questions about the occurrence of any cough during the previous 2 weeks, referral to private/governmental/other health care systems, and utilization of any oral/injection form of antibiotics. Data were analyzed using SPSS software18. Th e chi-square test was used to determine antibiotic consumption in various gender and residency groups and also a place of residence with the referral health care system. Results: Of the 9345 children under 5 years who participated in the study, 1506 cases (16.2%) had ARTI during 2 weeks prior to the interview, in whom 1143 (75.9%) were referred to urban or rural health care centers (43.4 vs. 30.4%; P < 0.001). Antibiotics were utilized by 715 (62.6%) of aff ected children. Injection formulations were used for 150 (13.1%) patients. Th e frequency of receiving antibiotics was higher in urban than in rural inhabitants (66.0% vs. 57.7%; P < 0.05). Conclusion: Th e prevalence of total and injection antibiotics usage in children <5 years with ARTI is alarmingly high in Iran. Th erefore, interventions to reduce antibiotic use are urgently needed. © 2015, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.