DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSING KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE TOWARD ANTIBIOTIC USE AMONG PARENTS

Objective: Antibiotics can only treat serious bacterial infections. However, public’s misconception, that antibiotics cure every disease including viral infections leads to misuse. Common practices such as irregular intake, self-medication, and obtaining antibiotics without prescription contribute to antimicrobial resistance, which is threatening global health. This study aims to develop and validate appropriate scales to measure parents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) regarding antibiotic use. Methods: A questionnaire on assessing KAP about antibiotic use was constructed and tested among the parents in Kedah, Malaysia. Reliability and test-retest stability were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and the intraclass correlation coefficient. Factor analysis confirmed construct validity, with items expected to load strongly on single factors. Data were collected June–August 2024 from parents of children ≤12 years. Results: Reliability testing showed a very high internal consistency and test-retest reliability (all scales score higher than 0.7 on Cronbach’s alpha). Exploratory analysis for attitudes revealed four factors, and for practices, two, with good variance accounted for (>70%). Items with loadings <0.4 were eliminated. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure > 0.6 and Bartlett’s test p<0.001 confirmed data adequacy. Of the 46 young, educated Chinese parents involved, knowledge and attitude scores were moderate according to Bloom’s criteria. Conclusion: The final tool included 17 items of knowledge, 11 of attitude, and 9 of practice, which all showed validity and reliability. Participants had moderate knowledge, a neutral attitude, and practices. Further validation is recommended before wider use.