The Awareness of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Adult Population in an Urban  Setting of Rawalpindi

O Objective: To determine the association of various aspects of antimicrobial resistance awareness and socio-demographic determinants among residents of Rawalpindi. Study Design: Cross-sectional analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Rawalpindi Cantonment, Pakistan, from Jan to Dec 2021. Methodology: A validated (World Health Organization) multi-country questionnaire was completed by a total of 400 participants, aged 16 years and older, by using two-stage sampling technique. The relationship between social and dependent variables was analyzed using chi-square test of significance. Results: Study results showed that 53.8% of participants were aware of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’ whereas only 29.5% understood what antimicrobial resistance meant. In comparison to males, more females (65.3%) knew the term antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance awareness was higher among young adults aged 16-24 years (67.8%) than among older age groups (p=0.001). Antibiotic resistance awareness in relation to gender (p<0.001), education level (p<0.001), occupation (p<0.001) and monthly household income (p<0.001) was found statistically significant. Antibiotic resistance, according to nearly one-third of respondents (31.8%), was a problem in other countries but not in Pakistan. Conclusion: Awareness and level of understanding regarding spread of antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic resistance itself were found to be low. The study findings revealed that older adults, those with lower education and lower socioeconomic status had the least knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotic resistance and antimicrobial resistance as compared to other groups.