{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T16:17:06Z","timestamp":1785428226679,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783555200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001349","name":"National Medical Research Council Singapore","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["NMRC\/HSRG\/0083\/2017"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NMRC\/HSRG\/0083\/2017"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001349","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["NMRC\/HSRG\/0083\/2017"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["NMRC\/HSRG\/0083\/2017"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/04x3cxs03","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antibiotics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Inappropriate antibiotic use for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) is common. However, existing research typically examines single indicators or broad categories of misuse practices, without considering the probabilistic and co-occurring nature of varying behaviours. This study aims to identify and characterise distinct antibiotic behavioural profiles within a general population to inform personalised interventions. Methods: This is a broadly representative population-based study of adult Singapore residents between November 2020 and January 2021. Latent class analysis was first performed to identify distinct profiles, followed by multinomial logistic regression to determine individual characteristics associated with each profile, with interaction effects examined. Results: Amongst 2004 respondents, the majority were \u201cantibiotic appropriates\u201d (53.0%), followed by \u201cantibiotic avoiders\u201d (24.9%), and \u201cantibiotic seekers\u201d (22.2%). \u201cAntibiotic seekers\u201d expected antibiotics for cold\/flu, hopped between doctors to source antibiotics, used leftover antibiotics, stopped antibiotic courses prematurely and perceived antibiotics as harmless and useful for treating cold\/flu. Individuals with poor knowledge of antibiotic use (AOR 3.71, 95% CI 2.89\u20134.76, p &lt; 0.001) and antimicrobial resistance (AOR 3.51, 95% CI 1.05\u201311.76, p = 0.042), low eHealth literacy (AOR 1.34, 95% CI 1.02\u20131.77, p = 0.038), and high trust in doctors (AOR 2.14, 95% CI 1.44\u20133.17, p &lt; 0.001) were more likely to be \u201cantibiotic seekers\u201d. Older adults with lower education levels were particularly likely to be \u201cantibiotic seekers\u201d. Conclusions: Approximately one-in-five Singapore residents are antibiotic seekers. Targeted education during multiple clinic visits, given the high trust in doctors, can address antibiotic knowledge gaps and misperceptions, reducing antibiotic misuse.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antibiotics15070671","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T10:16:22Z","timestamp":1783592182000},"page":"671","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Identifying Distinct Antibiotic Behavioural Profiles in Singapore\u2019s General Population: A Latent Class Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8730-6349","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Huiling","family":"Guo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4063-736X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Angela","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore 308433, Singapore"},{"name":"Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117549, Singapore"},{"name":"Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 308232, Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"O\u2019Neill, J. (2026, March 19). Tackling Drug-Resistance Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations. The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance. Available online: https:\/\/amr-review.org\/sites\/default\/files\/160518_Final%20paper_with%20cover.pdf."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"(2024). GBD 2021 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators. Global burden of bacterial antimicrobial resistance 1990\u20132021: A systematic analysis with forecasts to 2050. Lancet, 404, 1199\u20131226."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2026, March 19). Antimicrobial Resistance. 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BMC Public Health, 19.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12889-019-7258-3"}],"container-title":["Antibiotics"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-6382\/15\/7\/671\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]],"date-time":"2026-07-09T10:39:31Z","timestamp":1783593571000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-6382\/15\/7\/671"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]},"references-count":20,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7]]}},"alternative-id":["antibiotics15070671"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/antibiotics15070671","relation":{},"ISSN":["2079-6382"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2079-6382","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,9]]}}}