Knowledge of antibiotic resistance and prevalence of antibiotic usage among urban residents of Kochi, India: a community-based cross-sectional study
- 1Department of Community Medicine, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Kochi, KL, India
Abstract
Objective: To determine the prevalence of antibiotic use, assess knowledge of antibiotic resistance (AR) and identify factors associated with both antibiotic use and knowledge of AR among urban residents of Kochi, South India.
Design: Community-based cross-sectional study.
Setting: Urban community in Kerala, India.
Participants: Adults aged 18 years and above were recruited through a house-to-house survey using a non-probability convenience sampling approach in selected urban divisions of Kochi Municipal Corporation, Kerala, India.
Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcomes were prevalence of antibiotic use (self-reported consumption in the preceding 6 months) and level of knowledge of AR. Secondary outcomes included factors associated with antibiotic use and knowledge of AR.
Results: A total of 259 adults participated in the study. The prevalence of antibiotic use was 42.8% (95% CI 36.8% to 48.8%). Overall, 37.1% (95% CI 31.2 to 42.9) of participants reported having heard of the term AR. Knowledge of AR was significantly higher with younger age (p=0.006), higher education attainment (p<0.001), professional occupations (p=0.001) and higher socioeconomic status (p=0.014).
Conclusions: The study revealed limited awareness of the term AR among urban residents and considerable antibiotic use. These findings highlight the need to strengthen community-level awareness and promote the rational use of antibiotics through appropriate public health strategies. However, given the cross-sectional design, the observed associations should not be interpreted as causal.
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BibTeX
@article{moidu2026knowledge,
title = {{Knowledge of antibiotic resistance and prevalence of antibiotic usage among urban residents of Kochi, India: a community-based cross-sectional study}},
author = {Mufeeda Moidu and Omkar Krishnan R U and Rohit Vinod and Sreelakshmi Mohandas K and Nikitha T and Pooja Remesh and Roshini Subaraj and S S Ganga and Pratheekshaa Pramod and Raj M Prakash and Neha Thekkumthala Paramba and Ritu Ravichandran and Brilly M Rose},
journal = {BMJ Open},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2026-122134},
url = {https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2026-122134},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Knowledge of antibiotic resistance and prevalence of antibiotic usage among urban residents of Kochi, India: a community-based cross-sectional study
AU - Mufeeda Moidu
AU - Omkar Krishnan R U
AU - Rohit Vinod
AU - Sreelakshmi Mohandas K
AU - Nikitha T
AU - Pooja Remesh
AU - Roshini Subaraj
AU - S S Ganga
AU - Pratheekshaa Pramod
AU - Raj M Prakash
AU - Neha Thekkumthala Paramba
AU - Ritu Ravichandran
AU - Brilly M Rose
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
JO - BMJ Open
DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2026-122134
UR - https://bmjopen.bmj.com/lookup/doi/10.1136/bmjopen-2026-122134
AB - Objective: To determine the prevalence of antibiotic use, assess knowledge of antibiotic resistance (AR) and identify factors associated with both antibiotic use and knowledge of AR among urban residents of Kochi, South India. Design: Community-based cross-sectional study. Setting: Urban community in Kerala, India. Participants: Adults aged 18 years and above were recruited through a house-to-house survey using a non-probability convenience sampling approach in selected urban divisions of Kochi Municipal Corporation, Kerala, India. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Primary outcomes were prevalence of antibiotic use (self-reported consumption in the preceding 6 months) and level of knowledge of AR. Secondary outcomes included factors associated with antibiotic use and knowledge of AR. Results: A total of 259 adults participated in the study. The prevalence of antibiotic use was 42.8% (95% CI 36.8% to 48.8%). Overall, 37.1% (95% CI 31.2 to 42.9) of participants reported having heard of the term AR. Knowledge of AR was significantly higher with younger age (p=0.006), higher education attainment (p<0.001), professional occupations (p=0.001) and higher socioeconomic status (p=0.014). Conclusions: The study revealed limited awareness of the term AR among urban residents and considerable antibiotic use. These findings highlight the need to strengthen community-level awareness and promote the rational use of antibiotics through appropriate public health strategies. However, given the cross-sectional design, the observed associations should not be interpreted as causal.
SN - 2044-6055
SN - 2044-6055
ER -