| dc.description.abstract | Background: Inappropriate antibiotic use in children is a global health problem, with prevalence in Indonesia reaching 40% - 60%. Parents' knowledge about antibiotic use is very important to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance in children.
Objective: to determine the level of knowledge and behavior of use, the influence of respondent characteristics on knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use in children and the relationship between the level of knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use in children at Marubun Jaya Health Center, Tanah Jawa District, Simalungun Regency.
Methods :Descriptive research with a cross-sectional approach was conducted using a questionnaire to assess knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use in children. This study was conducted in December-February 2025 at the Marubun Jaya Health Center, Tanah Jawa District, Simalungun Regency. Statistical analysis used was descriptive, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis
Results: Of 310 respondents (100% respondent rate), 27.1% had good knowledge, 59.7% were sufficient, and 13.2% were deficient. For antibiotic use behavior, 39.3% of respondents were good, 51% were fair, and 9.7% were poor. Education and occupation significantly influenced the level of knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use. Spearman-rho test showed a significant relationship between knowledge and behavior with moderate correlation (r=0.412).
Conclusion: The majority of parents in Marubun Jaya Health Center have sufficient knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use in children, but there are still errors especially in the consequences of not spending antibiotics as prescribed, the right time interval for administering antibiotics, and the correct method of disposing of antibiotics. Education and occupation affect the knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use. The correlation between the level of knowledge and behavior of antibiotic use is moderate with a value of r = 0.412 | en_US |
