Prevalence and Characteristics of Antibiotics Providing Groceries in Amphoe Wangnuea, Lampang province

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence and characteristics of groceries that provided antibiotics in Amphoe Wangnuea, Lampang province. Method: This research was a cross-sectional descriptive study, collecting the data from 155 groceries selected from the population of 248 by using a stratified random sampling. The researcher together with workers in health promoting subdistrict hospitals and health volunteers interviewed the grocery owners and observed their stores and goods according to the instrument developed in the study. Results: 21.9% of the groceries in Amphoe Wangnuea provided antibiotics. 53.0% of those with antibiotics  acquired the drugs from pharmacies. 76.5% of the grocery owners reported that items of antibiotics selected and sold in the stores were the ones being asked frequently and recommended by the customers. Most of the available antibiotics in the groceries were those familiar to the consumers because of advertisings and words of mouth. The study found that whether antibiotics was available or not did not depend on the distance between groceries and health institutions, years of operation and the participation in the training organized by public health agencies for grocery owners. Conclusion: One out of five groceries in Amphoe Wangnuea provided antibiotics implying that antibiotics selling by groceries is still an important problems contributing to irrational drug use.