Abstract
OBJECTIVES: to assess parental perception of the factors influencing their children's antibiotic use at home and to determine the association with sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: a descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 209 parents of children under 12 years of age who used antibiotics at home. A sociodemographic and clinical characterization instrument and the Parental Perception on Antibiotics Scale were administered. The Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: most participants were mothers (90.9%). Parents with elementary education and income below the minimum wage had higher medians in the scale factors 1- Knowledge and beliefs, 2- Behaviors, and 3- Adherence, indicating less understanding of the correct use of antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: parental perception of the factors that influence antibiotic administration to children at home is directly associated with the correct use of medication and sociodemographic factors.