Antibiotics
Volume 8, Issue 4, 2019

The association between changes in external environment caused by migration and inappropriate antibiotic use behaviors among chinese university students: A cross-sectional study (Article) (Open Access)

Lu J. , Wang X. , Lin L. , Xuan Z. , Hu Y.J. , Zhou X.*
  • a Institute of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
  • b Institute of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
  • c Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, WC1H 9SH, United Kingdom, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
  • d Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, United States
  • e Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, University of Melbourne. Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, VIC 3052, Australia
  • f Institute of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to explore how changes in external factors caused by migration impact antibiotic use behaviors among Chinese university students in comparison to their peers from host areas and origin areas. Migration status was determined by host universities and origin areas, which were broadly defined as eastern vs. western regions in China. Methods: This study analyzed secondary data from a cross-sectional study conducted in China about the antibiotic use behaviors of university students in 2015. Students were divided into four groups: eastern local students (E-Es), western local students (W-Ws), eastern–western migrant students (E-Ws), and western–eastern migrant students (W-Es). Results: After controlling for gender, grade, major, hometown (rural or urban), and parents’ education, E-Ws reported a significantly higher odds of asking for antibiotics (OR = 2.13; 95% CI = 1.54–3.03; p < 0.001) and taking antibiotics prophylactically (OR = 1.85; 95% CI = 1.32–2.56; p < 0.001) compared with E-Es; W-Es reported a significantly lower odds of asking for antibiotics (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.37–0.83; p < 0.01) and taking antibiotics prophylactically (OR = 0.57; 95% CI = 0.41–0.81; p < 0.01) compared with W-Ws. Discussion: Regional differences likely interacted with students’ migration status in forming different antibiotic use behaviors. Factors including financial incentives and loose regulations of antibiotic over-prescription by health providers and peer influence may contribute to worsened antibiotic use behaviors among E-Ws. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

Antibiotic use University student External factor

Index Keywords

education association human antibiotic agent priority journal geographic distribution external environment environmental aspects and related phenomena cross-sectional study male female questionnaire university student prevalence Article prophylaxis gender migration drug use
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85074355882&doi=10.3390%2fantibiotics8040200&partnerID=40&md5=c7f772460714860f02b37061d04f84dc
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics8040200
ISSN: 20796382
Original Language: English