Assessment of stakeholders' knowledge, attitude, and practice in cattle production and supply chain on antimicrobial usage in Kilosa District, Morogoro

Antimicrobial drugs play fundamental roles such as prophylaxis, treatment, and growth promotion in the animal husbandry. The inappropriate use of antimicrobials in livestock production has resulted in a global burden of antimicrobial residues and antimicrobial resistance in humans. The study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of stakeholders on the use of antimicrobial drugs in livestock production. A cross-sectional study based on a semi-structured questionnaire was conducted to determine the awareness of stakeholders (N = 310) on antimicrobial usage in Kilosa district, Tanzania. Stakeholders were selected using multi-stage stratified random sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, employing descriptive statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis test, the Manny-Whitney U-test, and Spearman rank correlations. Results showed that most stakeholders had a low level of knowledge, with a mean score of 3.4±1.9, while livestock officers exhibited higher knowledge with a mean score of 6.7±0.5 compared to other stakeholders. Knowledge scores were significantly influenced by gender and education (p<0.05). Stakeholders generally demonstrated negative attitudes towards antimicrobial usage, with a mean score of 5.5±1.7, except for livestock officers and cattle keepers, who had positive attitudes of 8.7±0.7 and 9.4±2.0, respectively. Consumers and butchers showed negative attitudes, with scores of 6.1±1.4 and 4.0±1.3, respectively. Attitudes were significantly influenced by gender, age, and marital status (p<0.05). Poor practices were also revealed among stakeholders, with a mean score of 4.4±1.5, whereas livestock officers demonstrated good practices with a mean score of 16.0±1.4. Practice scores were significantly influenced by age, gender, and education (p<0.05). Significant associations between knowledge, attitude, and practice scores across stakeholder groups were found (p<0.05), with post hoc analysis confirming statistically significant differences (p<0.05). The majority of stakeholders exhibited low knowledge, negative attitudes, and poor practices regarding antimicrobial usage. Implement education programs to enhance stakeholder knowledge and practices.