Knowledge, Awareness and Self-Reported Practices Regarding Antimicrobial Resistance Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Samir; Tshering Zam; Sabina Yasmin; Abdullah Mollah; Toficka Nasrin; Dikshita Pathak; Muskan Ahmed; Gunlu Gangmei; Jackricky N Sangma

Samir 3. Assistant Professor, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Tshering Zam BMLT students, Programe of MLT, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Sabina Yasmin BMLT students, Programe of MLT, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Abdullah Mollah BMLT students, Programe of MLT, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Toficka Nasrin BMLT students, Programe of MLT, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Dikshita Pathak BMLT students, Programe of MLT, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Muskan Ahmed BMLT students, Programe of MLT, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India
Gunlu Gangmei Medical Lab. Technologist , Department of Pathology ,AIIMS Bathinda Punjab, India
Jackricky N Sangma Assistant Professor, Faculty of Allied & Healthcare Sciences, Assam down town University, Sankar Madhab Path, Gandhi Nagar, Panikhaiti, Guwahati, Assam, India

Keywords: Antimicrobial resistance; antibiotic resistance; university students; knowledge, attitude and practice; antimicrobial stewardship; self-medication; cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a leading global public health threat driven substantially by inappropriate antibiotic use. University students — as both current consumers of antibiotics and, for many, future healthcare professionals — represent a critical population for assessing awareness, knowledge and self-reported practice gaps that can inform targeted educational interventions.

Objective: To assess self-reported awareness, knowledge and practices regarding antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance among university students, and to identify gaps between perceived importance and actual knowledge/practice.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted among 103 university students using a structured, self-administered questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, awareness of AMR, core knowledge items, self-reported antibiotic-use behaviours, and attitudes toward antimicrobial stewardship and education. Data were summarised as frequencies and percentages and presented using descriptive tables, ranked comparisons, and composite domain-level analysis.

Results: Most participants (83.5%) were aged 18–25 years and were predominantly in their 5th semester of study (49.5%). While 79.6% reported having heard of antibiotic/AMR and 70.9% considered themselves aware of AMR, only 45.6% could correctly define antibiotic resistance as bacteria (not the human body) becoming resistant. Composite domain analysis revealed a clear gradient: self-reported Awareness scored highest (75.2%), followed by Attitude (68.2%), while composite Knowledge (46.6%) and Appropriate Practice (40.0%) scored substantially lower. Risky self-reported behaviours were common: 63.1% had taken antibiotics without a prescription, 66.0% had stopped a course early, 58.3% had shared antibiotics with others, and only 36.9% correctly disposed of leftover antibiotics. Despite these gaps, attitudes toward antimicrobial stewardship and AMR education were favourable, with 80.6% supporting compulsory AMR/stewardship training for healthcare students.

Conclusion: University students in this sample demonstrated relatively high self-reported awareness of AMR and favourable attitudes toward stewardship education, but this was not matched by objective knowledge or self-reported practice, mirroring a knowledge–practice gap widely reported in the international literature. Targeted, practice-oriented educational interventions — rather than awareness campaigns alone — are needed to translate positive attitudes into safer antibiotic-use behaviour.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24321/2454.325X.202619

How to cite this article:
Zam T, Yasmin S, Mollah A, Nasrin T, Pathak D,
Ahmed M, Gangmei G, Sangma J N, Moirangthem
S. Knowledge, Awareness and Self-Reported
Practices Regarding Antimicrobial Resistance
Among University Students: A Cross-Sectional
Survey. Int J Preven Curat Comm Med.
2026;12(4): 9-19.

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