Infection and Drug Resistance (May 2024)
Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, and Risk Perception of Antimicrobial Use and Antimicrobial Resistance Among Dairy Farm Owners/Workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Abstract
Simegnew Adugna Kallu,1,2 Nigatu Kebede,2 Tesfu Kassa,2 Ambachew Motbaynor Wubaye,1 Henson Kainga,3 Habtamu Mekonnen,4 Martin C Simuunza5,6 1College of Veterinary Medicine, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia; 2Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 3Department of Veterinary Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Lilongwe, Malawi; 4Addis Ababa City Administration, Farmers and Urban Agriculture Development Commission, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 5Department of Disease Control, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; 6Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases of Humans and Animals, University of Zambia, Lusaka, ZambiaCorrespondence: Simegnew Adugna Kallu, College of Veterinary Medicine, Haramaya University, P. O. Box 138, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia, Email [email protected]; [email protected]: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the most significant global health threats to the public, animals, and the ecosystem. Inappropriate use of antibiotics in food animals is considered a major driver of AMR in humans. This study was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, practices, and risk perception (KAPP) of dairy farm owners/workers in Addis Ababa about antibiotic use and resistance.Methods: A face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire was conducted with 281 respondents in four selected subcities of Addis Ababa. The responses provided by each participant were recoded into a binary scale based on the mean score of each domain. Pearson chi-square was used to check the association between the KAPP and sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents and logistic regression analysis was done to explore the factors associated with KAPP.Results: Overall, more than half of the surveyed dairy farm owners/workers had good knowledge (57.7%) and appropriate practice (53.0%), while less than half of the respondents showed desirable attitudes (47.7%) and positive risk perceptions (42.7%). The findings revealed a strong association between the respondents’ KAPP and education and between knowledge and risk perception and farming experience.Conclusion: This study found that continuous education of dairy farm owners/workers regarding antimicrobial usage and antimicrobial resistance in dairy farms will increase their awareness and perception of risk as well as motivate them to adopt desirable attitudes and appropriate practices, and consequently limit inappropriate use of antimicrobials leading to mitigating emergence of AMR.Keywords: antimicrobial use, resistance, knowledge, attitude, practices, risk perception, dairy farm owners/workers
