Use and perceptions of antibiotics for upper respiratory infections among college students

BACKGROUND Upper respiratory infections (URIs) are mainly viral in nature, rendering antibiotics ineffective. Little is known about what college stude nts believe concerning the effectiveness of antibiotics as a treatment for UXIs. METHODS Students (n=425) on 3 college campuses were surveyed using a survey describing 3 variations in presentation of an uncomplicated URI. Participa nts were questioned about their likelihood of using a variety of treatments for the URI and about their likelihood of seeking a physician's care. RESULTS The percentage of students endorsing antibiotic use differed signif icantly by symptom complex. Likelihood of seeking medical care also differe d significantly across symptom groups, with greater endorsement in the disc olored nasal discharge and low-grade fever scenarios. Stepwise multiple reg ression analysis revealed that belief in antibiotic effectiveness for cold symptoms decreased with increasing years of higher education. Likelihood of antibiotic use across different scenarios increased with age. Likelihood o f seeking care across different scenarios was related to type of health ins urance and belief in antibiotic effectiveness. a CONCLUSIONS Undergraduate college students show poor recognition of typical presentations of the common cold and have misconceptions about effective t reatment. Although increasing years of college correlated with decreasing b elief in antibiotics' effectiveness for a cold, more health education at th e college level is recommended.