Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Characteristics of 250 Adult Participants in a Survey about Harms of Antibiotic Use
Characteristic Count (%) Sex Male 64 (25.6) Female 184 (73.6) Other 2 (0.8) Age, years 18 to 24 18 (7.2) 25 to 34 70 (28.0) 35 to 44 43 (17.2) 45 to 54 40 (16.0) 55 to 64 40 (16.0) 65+ 39 (15.6) Education High school graduate or less 54 (21.6) Any college or trade school up to bachelor’s degree 140 (56.0) Master’s degree or higher 56 (22.4) Race/ethnicity White (non-Hispanic/Latino) 69 (27.6) Black or African American 152 (60.8) All others 29 (11.6) Living situation I live with family members or roommates 190 (76.0) I live by myself 60 (24.0) - Table 2.
Change in Likelihood of Requesting Antibiotics for upper respiratory infections (URI)-like Symptoms after Reading Each Statement about Potential Harm of Nonindicated Antibiotics
Statement Δ Mean Likelihood (Standard Deviation) Median (Interquartile Range) Statement Category Discusses Antibiotic Resistance? “Taking antibiotics can hurt your body’s natural defenses. This makes it easier for you to get another infection.”1,7 −2.56 (2.14) −3 (−5 to −1) Individual No “Antibiotics can change how babies grow inside pregnant women.”8,9 −2.54 (2.28) −3 (−5 to 0) Others close to you No “By changing your normal gut bacteria, antibiotics can cause allergies, asthma, and stomach problems.” 8,10,11 −2.54 (2.21) −3 (−5 to −1) Individual No “Antibiotics can make you more likely to be obese (fat).”12 −2.51 (2.28) −3 (−5 to 0) Individual No “Pregnant women who take antibiotics are more likely to have babies with asthma.”9 −2.50 (2.33) −3 (−5 to 0) Others close to you No “Antibiotics can cause bad bacteria to overgrow in your gut. This can cause diarrhea and belly pain.”10,13 −2.47 (2.17) −3 (−5 to −1) Individual No “In the future, antibiotic resistance will cause more deaths than cancer and diabetes combined.”6 −2.42 (2.23) −3 (−5 to 0) Society Yes “Resistant bacteria can still be found in your gut 4 years after taking antibiotics.”14 −2.30 (2.25) −3 (−4 to 0) Individual Yes “A single dose of antibiotics makes the bacteria in your body more resistant to treatment.”15 −2.12 (2.26) −2 (−4 to 0) Individual Yes “Antibiotics kill your normal gut bacteria. This can cause bad bacteria to overgrow.”12 −1.99 (2.35) −2 (−4 to 0) Individual No “Antibiotic resistant bacteria cause over 2 million illnesses and 23,000 deaths in the US each year.”7 −1.96 (2.45) −2 (−4 to 0) Society Yes “Each antibiotic-resistant infection costs up to $30,000 more to treat than other infections.”6,16,17 −1.93 (2.30) −2 (−4 to 0) Society Yes “Taking antibiotics can cause you to get a yeast infection.”18 −1.90 (2.46) −2 (−4 to 0) Individual No “Resistant bacteria can spread between people.”1,7 −1.85 (2.66) −2 (−4 to 0) Others close to you Yes “Antibiotics are the most common cause of Emergency Room visits for drug reactions in children.”7 −1.83 (2.33) −2 (−4 to 0) Others close to you No “One in 5 people who take an antibiotic in a hospital will have a side effect.”1 −1.72 (2.25) −2 (−4 to 0) Society No “In some countries like India, people in hospitals have infections so resistant that antibiotics can’t treat them.”19 −1.40 (2.60) −1 (−4 to 0) Society Yes “Antibiotic resistance costs the US between $20 and $35 billion each year.”7,16 −1.35 (2.28) −1 (−3 to 0) Society Yes For the mean δ displayed, a “−5” meant the statement made the patient much less likely to request antibiotics, “0” meant the statement did not change their likelihood, and “5” would mean the statement made them much more likely to request antibiotics.
- Table 3.
Mean Δ of Likelihood to Request Antibiotics Overall and by Category and Participant Characteristics
Statement CategoryIndividual Close Contact About Society About Resistance Not about Resistance All Statements Total Sample (n = 250) −2.30 −2.18 −1.80 −1.91 −2.26 −2.10 Sex Men (n = 64) −1.75 −1.49 −1.35 −1.43 −1.77 −1.62 Women (n = 184) −2.81 −2.42 −2.95 −2.08 −2.43 −2.28 Education HS graduate or less (n = 54) −1.90 −1.63 −1.15 −1.33 −1.72 −1.60 Any college or trade school up to bachelor’s degree (n = 140) −2.30 −2.33 −1.86 −1.95 −2.33 −2.16 Master’s degree or higher (n = 56) −2.65 −2.34 −2.25 −2.38 −2.50 −2.45 Race Black (n = 152) −1.97 −1.94 −1.51 −1.56 −2.01 −1.81 White (n = 69) −2.69 −2.41 −2.13 −2.32 −2.53 −2.44 Other (n = 29) −3.09 −2.89 −2.49 −2.81 −2.88 −2.84 HS, high school.
A mean δ“−5” meant the statement made the patient much less likely to request antibiotics, “0” meant the statement did not change their likelihood, and “5” meant the statement made them much more likely to request antibiotics.
