Background: Antibiotic resistance presents a substantial threat to global public health. One of the primary contributors to antibiotic resistance is the irrational use of antibiotics. This study aimed to comprehensively assess the prevalence and associated factors of antibiotic self-medication (ASM) practices among the pediatric population in India.

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar to identify relevant articles published up to December 2024. Inclusion criteria included studies reporting the prevalence rate of ASM practices among the pediatric population in India. Quality assessment of the included studies was conducted using the JBI tool for prevalence studies. Data were extracted using a standardized form and analyzed using R software with a random-effects model.

Results: Seventeen studies involving 7847 children were analyzed. The pooled prevalence of pediatric ASM in India was 19.8% (95% CI: 13.5; 28.2; I² = 98.2%; p < 0.01). Regional disparities were observed (p < 0.01), with the northern region exhibiting the highest prevalence at 30.7%. No significant difference in prevalence was found between studies that recruited participants from hospital and community settings (p = 0.0552). Key factors associated with pediatric ASM included financial constraints, time constraints, perceptions of mild illness, and limited healthcare access. Common sources for procuring antibiotics were local pharmacies, leftover medications, and friends/family members. Information sources regarding the use of antibiotics included previous prescriptions, friends/family members, media, past experiences, and pharmacists. The mean duration of antibiotic consumption was 2.5 days.

Conclusion: Self-medication with antibiotics was prevalent among the pediatric population in India. Therefore, government and policymakers should take necessary measures to promote the responsible use of antibiotics.

Keywords: Antibiotics; Children; Epidemiology; India; Pediatric; Self-medication.

© 2025. The Author(s).

背景： 抗生素耐药性对全球公共卫生构成了重大威胁。导致抗生素耐药性的主要因素之一是不合理使用抗生素。本研究旨在全面评估印度儿科人群中的自行使用抗生素（ASM）的流行率及其相关因素。

方法： 在PubMed、Embase、Scopus和Google Scholar中进行了全面搜索，以识别截至2024年12月发表的相关文章。纳入标准包括报告印度儿科人群ASM实践发生率的研究。使用JBI工具对入选研究进行质量评估，并采用标准化表格提取数据，利用R软件的随机效应模型进行数据分析。

结果： 共分析了17项涉及7847名儿童的研究。印度儿科ASM的合并发生率为19.8%（95% CI：13.5；28.2；I²= 98.2%，p

结论： 在印度的儿科人群中，自行使用抗生素的情况较为普遍。因此，政府和政策制定者应采取必要措施促进合理使用抗生素。

关键词： 抗生素；儿童；流行病学；印度；儿科；自我用药。