Report examines overuse and misuse of antibiotics given to children

Research in the Northern Territory has explored a number of factors that contribute to a parent’s decision to give their children antibiotics in order to learn about their overuse and misuse.

The study, led by Charles Darwin University (CDU), found that parental decisions on the need for antibiotics for children living in remote or rural areas is predominately based on the advice of a personal network and out of fear.

Looking into the overuse and misuse of antibiotics allowed lead author and CDU PhD student Stephanie Marsh to examine drivers of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), which is when microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi in the body defeat the drug designed to kill them.

March said that children are amongst the highest recipients of antibiotics, and that there was need to understand the decisions of mothers and fathers towards their children’s antibiotic use.

The study conducted focus groups with mothers in rural and remote communities across the Territory, with findings revealing a lack of knowledge-based decisions on the use of antibiotics, as well as influences driven by fear of serious illness.

“The mothers reported that despite favouring the doctor’s advice when deciding on antibiotic treatment for their child, they also highly valued input from others in their social network, such as friends and family,” Marsh said.

“Whilst they may obtain this advice differently and for varying reasons, nearly all parents reported seeking additional direction from others to alleviate their concerns.”

The study also found that first-time mothers are more cautious in their approach towards antibiotics.

“We saw differences in the findings between first-time mothers of a child less than 12 months of age and mothers with more than one child,” Marsh said.

“First-time mothers with babies had the most optimal behaviours with antibiotics. This was likely due to these parents having less exposure to using antibiotics and managing childhood illnesses than parents with older and multiple children.”

Additionally, access to health care in rural and remote areas factored into the parental decisions to use antibiotics, with many study participants raising the issue of timely access to a GP for their children.

Marsh’s supervisor Professor Mitchell Byrne said the findings from this research would help inform interventions to reduce the impact of AMR.

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