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by Charlotte Cowan, MD, 30 pp, $17.95, ISBN 0-9753516-0-5, Concord, Mass, The Hippocratic Press, 2004.

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2006;160:860-861.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Overuse of antibiotics for acute otitis media, one of the most common illnesses of preschool-aged children, contributes to antimicrobial resistance.¹ Physicians cite parental expectations as one of the factors that influences overprescription of antibiotics to children. Multifaceted campaigns that include printed materials such as pamphlets and posters have been helpful in directing messages on appropriate use of antibiotics to parents. For example, public health officials in Tennessee documented an 11% reduction in antibiotic prescriptions to children that was attributed to a community-wide intervention in which "Antibiotics and Your Child," a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention pamphlet, was mailed to parents.²

While direct messages are useful for public health campaigns, less direct but engaging stories could also be used to promote positive values and reduce parental expectations for antibiotics. Children’s books have been an attractive means for conveying values through generations, and the shared experience of reading books aloud has . . . [Full Text of this Article]

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Nkuchia M. M'ikanatha, DrPH, MPH, Reviewer