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Prevalence And Factors Of Self-Medication With Antibiotics In Claiborne County, Tennessee, Kimberly A. Carney, Lauren Wisnieski, Tristan Lackey, Donald Noah

Journal of Appalachian Health

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious concern to public health, causing an estimated 35,000 deaths annually in the U.S. Misuse of antimicrobials increases the rate of AMR. Self-medication with antibiotics (SMA) is a primary contributor to AMR that can be addressed through education. SMA has been reported at rates of 3% to 66% in the U.S. but has not been evaluated in Appalachia.¹ Low health literacy and barriers to accessing care have been correlated with SMA and are common in many areas of Appalachia.

Purpose: This study aims to assess factors associated with SMA, demographic differences in knowledge …