Gender and urban-rural influences on antibiotic purchasing and prescription use in retail drug shops: a one health study.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Few studies have reported antibiotic purchases from retail drug shops in relation to gender in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Using a One Health approach, we aimed to examine gender dimensions of antibiotic purchases for humans and animals and use of prescriptions in retail drug shops in Bangladesh.

Methods

We conducted customer observations in 20 drug shops in one rural and one urban area. Customer gender, antibiotic purchases, and prescription use were recorded during a four-hour observation (2 sessions of 2 hours) in each shop. We included drug shops selling human medicine (n = 15); animal medicine (n = 3), and shops selling both human and animal medicine (n = 2).

Results

Of 582 observations, 31.6% of drug shop customers were women. Women com

SUBMITTER: Rousham EK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9896778 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature