Assessment of antimicrobial knowledge storage, disposal practices, among household members of Kilosa District, Tanzania

Introduction:  Storage and improper disposal of antimicrobials in households may be a driver for developing and spreading antimicrobial resistance (AMR).  Community members play a key role in ensuring that unused or expired household stored antimicrobials are disposed of appropriately to curb the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance via the environment. Aim:  To determine rural household community members’ AMR knowledge, storage, and disposal practices of antimicrobials. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Magole Ward, Kilosa district, Morogoro.  Participants were aged 18 years and above. Multistage sampling, followed by simple random sampling, was used to select sampling units and participants from the district to the ward level.   Data from households was collected by using a pretested semi-structured questionnaire.  Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20, Chi-square was used to determine the statistical significance of dependent variables Results: A total of 494 participants were enrolled in this study.  The majority of study respondents were female (57.7%). Most of the study respondents (83.2%) stored antimicrobials at home at the time of the visit.  The major reason for keeping antimicrobials at home was to treat family members who may fall sick in the future (79.6%). Knowledge of antimicrobials was low at 13.4%.  Knowledge of antimicrobial resistance was moderate (54.7%).  Just under half of the participants (45.7%) stated to use stored antimicrobials to treat livestock.  The most common disposal method of antimicrobials was burning (76.3%) with household garbage.   Conclusion: The majority of residents of Magole ward stored antimicrobials at home, had limited knowledge of antimicrobials, antimicrobial resistance, and appropriate disposal practices for antimicrobials