Acta Pharmaciae Indonesia : Acta Pharm Indo
Vol 13 No 1 (2025): Acta Pharmaciae Indonesia: Acta Pharm Indo

Knowledge and attitudes toward rational antibiotic use among non-health-related undergraduate students in Lampung, Indonesia: a cross-sectional study

Yasinda Oktariza (Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, South Lampung 35365, Indonesia)
Uswatun Hasanah (Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, South Lampung 35365, Indonesia)
Juwana Janu (Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, South Lampung 35365, Indonesia)
Delladari Mayefis (Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, South Lampung 35365, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
12 Mar 2026

Abstract

Background: Inappropriate antibiotic use drives antimicrobial resistance (AMR), a growing global health threat. Non-health-related undergraduate students represent a population with limited formal health education yet significant potential to influence community antibiotic use behaviors. Objective: This study assessed knowledge and attitudes toward rational antibiotic use among non-health-related undergraduate students at Institut Teknologi Sumatera (ITERA), Lampung, Indonesia, and examined the relationship between the two. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 288 non-health-related undergraduate students from three faculties at ITERA between July and September 2025. Data were collected using a validated, adapted questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis and one-way ANOVA tests, and Spearman's rank correlation were performed. Results: Mean knowledge and attitude scores were 59.98 (SD = 20.20) and 59.23 (SD = 20.82), respectively, both in the moderate category. Key misconceptions included beliefs that antibiotics treat viral infections (48.97%), reduce fever (45.52%), and can be purchased online without a prescription (62.76%). A moderate-to-strong positive correlation was identified between knowledge and attitude (rho = 0.650; 95% CI: 0.575 to 0.714; p < 0.001). Conclusion: Non-health-related undergraduate students at ITERA demonstrated moderate yet insufficient antibiotic knowledge and attitudes. University-level educational interventions are warranted to improve antibiotic literacy and support AMR containment efforts.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

api

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology

Description

Journal of Acta Pharmaciae Indonesia is a journal published twice a year by Pharmacy Department, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto with the Number of ISSN 2337-8433 and E-ISSN 2621-4520. Our journal discusses various pharmaceutical fields in terms of Pharmaceutics & Pharmaceutical ...