Factors Associated with Inappropriate Use of Antibiotics Among Animal Health Professionals in Selected Districts of Rwanda, 2021

Background: Antibiotic resistance is a global health concern. Humans can acquire antibiotic resistance through human-to-human transmission, from the environment, via the food chain, and through the contact with animals. The National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance 2020–2024 highlights the prudent use of antibiotics in veterinary activities as the key element in keeping antibiotics effective. We determined the factors associated with misuse of antibiotics among animal health professionals in Rwanda. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study that enrolled animal health field professionals from five districts, where stratified random sampling was used to select one district by each province of Rwanda. Structured questions were used during face-to-face interviews. The misuse of antibiotics was defined as the use of antibiotics for reasons other than treatment, the non-completion of required courses, or the use of a high dose (i.e., an overdose) of antibiotics. We collected socio-demographic data of respondents, as well as elementary knowledge and perceptions on veterinary antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. A backward stepwise logistic regression model was used to identify the factors that were predictive of the inappropriate use of antibiotics. Results: There were 256 respondents to the survey. Of those, 198 were male and 58 were female. Almost three quarters of respondents (n = 174/256; 68%) reported the misuse of antibiotics at least once in the previous 12 months. The final logistic regression analysis identified the following factors to be predictive of antibiotics misuse: aged ≤ 24 years (aOR 0.92; 95% CI [0.88, 0.96]; p < 0.001); low trust in veterinary antibiotics available in the local market (aOR 8.45; 95% CI [4.18, 17.07]; p < 0.01), insufficient knowledge about basic understanding of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance (aOR 2.78; 95% CI [1.38, 5.58], p < 0.01) and not acquiring any continuing education (aOR 1.97; 95% CI [1.02, 4.19]; p = 0.04). Conclusions: This study identified inadequate perceptions of proper antibiotic use among animal health professionals. There is a need for continuous education on appropriate antibiotic use among animal health professionals to lessen the negative impact of antibiotic resistance on public health security.