Jingjing Lu1, Xiaomin Wang2, Leesa Lin3,4, Ziming Xuan5, Yanhong Jessika Hu6, Xudong Zhou7. 1. Institute of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. jingjinglu@zju.edu.cn. 2. Institute of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. xiaominwang2018@zju.edu.cn. 3. Department of Public Health, Environments and Society, Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1H 9SH, UK. leesaklin@gmail.com. 4. Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. leesaklin@gmail.com. 5. Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02118, USA. zxuan@bu.edu. 6. Murdoch Children's Research Institute, University of Melbourne. Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne VIC 3052, Australia. huhubest@gmail.com. 7. Institute of Social Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. zhouxudong@zju.edu.cn.
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.
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.
Entities:
Keywords:
antibiotic use; external factor; university student