Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia

Background: Enhanced availability of veterinary drugs in Ethiopia has led to a growing use of these drugs in food-producing animals. However, the use of drugs in livestock is not commonly supervised by trained veterinarians. In addition, smallholder livestock producers often lack sufficient educatio...

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Autores principales: Lemma, Mamusha, Alemu, Biruk, Amenu, Kebede, Wieland, Barbara, Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.
Formato: Journal Article
Lenguaje:Inglés
Publicado: BioMed Central 2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174471
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author Lemma, Mamusha
Alemu, Biruk
Amenu, Kebede
Wieland, Barbara
Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.
author_browse Alemu, Biruk
Amenu, Kebede
Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.
Lemma, Mamusha
Wieland, Barbara
author_facet Lemma, Mamusha
Alemu, Biruk
Amenu, Kebede
Wieland, Barbara
Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.
author_sort Lemma, Mamusha
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Background: Enhanced availability of veterinary drugs in Ethiopia has led to a growing use of these drugs in food-producing animals. However, the use of drugs in livestock is not commonly supervised by trained veterinarians. In addition, smallholder livestock producers often lack sufficient education and information about antimicrobial use to achieve the intended impact. Methods: We used Community Conversations to raise awareness and knowledge about antimicrobial use and resistance within rural communities. We used single-sex and mixed-gender discussion groups to explore community members’ perceptions and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance. Results: The data revealed knowledge and behavioral patterns in antimicrobial use and resistance, which vary between communities based on gender roles and information sources. Initially, antimicrobial resistance was poorly understood, but gradually, frequent drug use, poor-quality medications, poor regulatory system, and poor veterinary service emerged as key contributors. Although communities recognized the importance of preventive measures to reduce antimicrobial use, knowledge gaps and resource constraints limit their implementation. Conclusions: Raising awareness and knowledge within rural communities is an effective approach to promoting behavior change about antimicrobial use and resistance. The insights gained from understanding community perceptions and practices can help develop targeted education and training programs for stakeholders involved in the antimicrobial supply chain.
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spelling CGSpace1744712025-10-26T12:52:09Z Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia Lemma, Mamusha Alemu, Biruk Amenu, Kebede Wieland, Barbara Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D. antimicrobial resistance Background: Enhanced availability of veterinary drugs in Ethiopia has led to a growing use of these drugs in food-producing animals. However, the use of drugs in livestock is not commonly supervised by trained veterinarians. In addition, smallholder livestock producers often lack sufficient education and information about antimicrobial use to achieve the intended impact. Methods: We used Community Conversations to raise awareness and knowledge about antimicrobial use and resistance within rural communities. We used single-sex and mixed-gender discussion groups to explore community members’ perceptions and practices regarding antimicrobial use and resistance. Results: The data revealed knowledge and behavioral patterns in antimicrobial use and resistance, which vary between communities based on gender roles and information sources. Initially, antimicrobial resistance was poorly understood, but gradually, frequent drug use, poor-quality medications, poor regulatory system, and poor veterinary service emerged as key contributors. Although communities recognized the importance of preventive measures to reduce antimicrobial use, knowledge gaps and resource constraints limit their implementation. Conclusions: Raising awareness and knowledge within rural communities is an effective approach to promoting behavior change about antimicrobial use and resistance. The insights gained from understanding community perceptions and practices can help develop targeted education and training programs for stakeholders involved in the antimicrobial supply chain. 2025-05-06 2025-05-08T06:09:08Z 2025-05-08T06:09:08Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174471 en https://hdl.handle.net/10568/106395 Open Access BioMed Central Lemma, M., Alemu, B., Amenu, K., Wieland, B. and Knight-Jones, T. 2025. Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia. One Health Outlook 7: 28.
spellingShingle antimicrobial resistance
Lemma, Mamusha
Alemu, Biruk
Amenu, Kebede
Wieland, Barbara
Knight-Jones, Theodore J.D.
Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia
title Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia
title_full Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia
title_fullStr Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia
title_short Enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural Ethiopia
title_sort enhancing community awareness of antimicrobial use and resistance through community conversations in rural ethiopia
topic antimicrobial resistance
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/174471
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