Teacher and student views on the feasibility of peer to peer education as a model to educate 16-18 year olds on prudent antibiotic use- A qualitative study
Teacher and student views on the feasibility of peer to peer education as a model to educate 16-18 year olds on prudent antibiotic use- A qualitative study
Peer education (PE) has been used successfully to improve young peoples' health-related behaviour. This paper describes a qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of university healthcare students delivering PE, covering self-care and antibiotic use for infections, to biology students in three UK schools (16-18 years), who then educated their peers. Twenty peer educators (PEds) participated in focus groups and two teachers took part in interviews to discuss PE feasibility. Data were analysed inductively. All participants reported that teaching students about antibiotic resistance was important. PE was used by PEds to gain communication skills and experience for their CV. PEds confidence increased with practice and group delivery. Interactive activities and real-life illness scenarios facilitated enjoyment. Barriers to PE were competing school priorities, no antibiotic content in the non-biology curriculum, controlling disruptive behaviour, and evaluation consent and questionnaire completion. Participation increased PEds' awareness of appropriate antibiotic use. This qualitative study supports the feasibility of delivering PE in schools. Maximising interactive and illness scenario content, greater training and support for PEds, and inclusion of infection self-care and antibiotics in the national curriculum for all 16-18-year olds could help facilitate greater antibiotic education in schools. Simplifying consent and data collection procedures would facilitate future evaluations.
AMR, Antibiotic resistance, Antibiotics, Biology, Health education, Peer education, Qualitative, Students
McNulty, Cliodna A.M.
efcc95ca-272c-4e8f-aa2d-189d59acfc48
Brown, Carla L.
4817b709-0271-4277-8eba-da0a096558f9
Syeda, Rowshonara B.
cad72fbc-7174-42e6-8411-f662113b850f
Bennett, C. Verity
520d3131-7339-47ef-b5d1-cd5007144661
Schofield, Behnaz
0a9a7bef-6f21-4045-b7cc-fc3104d7a843
Allison, David G.
80933850-ed48-487c-9a7d-26101277948b
Francis, Nick
9b610883-605c-4fee-871d-defaa86ccf8e
19 April 2020
McNulty, Cliodna A.M.
efcc95ca-272c-4e8f-aa2d-189d59acfc48
Brown, Carla L.
4817b709-0271-4277-8eba-da0a096558f9
Syeda, Rowshonara B.
cad72fbc-7174-42e6-8411-f662113b850f
Bennett, C. Verity
520d3131-7339-47ef-b5d1-cd5007144661
Schofield, Behnaz
0a9a7bef-6f21-4045-b7cc-fc3104d7a843
Allison, David G.
80933850-ed48-487c-9a7d-26101277948b
Francis, Nick
9b610883-605c-4fee-871d-defaa86ccf8e
McNulty, Cliodna A.M., Brown, Carla L., Syeda, Rowshonara B., Bennett, C. Verity, Schofield, Behnaz, Allison, David G. and Francis, Nick
(2020)
Teacher and student views on the feasibility of peer to peer education as a model to educate 16-18 year olds on prudent antibiotic use- A qualitative study.
Antibiotics, 9 (4), [194].
(doi:10.3390/antibiotics9040194).
Abstract
Peer education (PE) has been used successfully to improve young peoples' health-related behaviour. This paper describes a qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of university healthcare students delivering PE, covering self-care and antibiotic use for infections, to biology students in three UK schools (16-18 years), who then educated their peers. Twenty peer educators (PEds) participated in focus groups and two teachers took part in interviews to discuss PE feasibility. Data were analysed inductively. All participants reported that teaching students about antibiotic resistance was important. PE was used by PEds to gain communication skills and experience for their CV. PEds confidence increased with practice and group delivery. Interactive activities and real-life illness scenarios facilitated enjoyment. Barriers to PE were competing school priorities, no antibiotic content in the non-biology curriculum, controlling disruptive behaviour, and evaluation consent and questionnaire completion. Participation increased PEds' awareness of appropriate antibiotic use. This qualitative study supports the feasibility of delivering PE in schools. Maximising interactive and illness scenario content, greater training and support for PEds, and inclusion of infection self-care and antibiotics in the national curriculum for all 16-18-year olds could help facilitate greater antibiotic education in schools. Simplifying consent and data collection procedures would facilitate future evaluations.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 16 April 2020
Published date: 19 April 2020
Keywords:
AMR, Antibiotic resistance, Antibiotics, Biology, Health education, Peer education, Qualitative, Students
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 444611
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/444611
ISSN: 2079-6382
PURE UUID: 44251ac4-3005-46ea-9538-76bc4f7def9d
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 27 Oct 2020 19:55
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 03:58
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Cliodna A.M. McNulty
Author:
Carla L. Brown
Author:
Rowshonara B. Syeda
Author:
C. Verity Bennett
Author:
Behnaz Schofield
Author:
David G. Allison
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
