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The Article in Brief
A Community Intervention to Decrease Antibiotics Used for Self-Medication Among Latino Adults
Arch G. Mainous III , and colleagues
Background Recent findings from Latino communities suggest that self-medication using antibiotics obtained without a prescription is common. The goal of this study was to implement and evaluate a culturally sensitive educational program to decrease self-medication with antibiotics in the Latino community.
What This Study Found A year-long multimedia campaign was not effective in decreasing the high incidence of acquiring antibiotics without a prescription among Latinos in a South Carolina community. Although most of the 250 adults surveyed had read or heard something on the radio about the appropriate use of antibiotics, this did not lead to differences in attitudes toward nonprescription antibiotics or having bought them in the last 12 months. Immigrants who had previously purchased antibiotics without prescription in their home country indicated they were likely to continue this practice in the United States.
Implications
- These results suggest that usual forms of health education may not be adequate to overcome the strong influence of past behavior. Successful programs may need to incorporate education about the reasons why antibiotics are regulated in the United States.