Gender Resources

There is a small, but growing, number of studies and reports that show a relationship between AMR and gender. This page lists the currently available resources that link gender and sex to AMR. We are looking to update this section regularly so please contact us (CE4AMR@leeds.ac.uk) with any resources you feel may be appropriate.

ReAct Report

"There is, to date, very little detailed examination of the gendered effects of antibiotic resistance, both medically and sociologically. Sex and gender is important to consider in enhancing the understanding of the ‘human face’ of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic use, and how it affects a variety of people in different ways throughout their daily lives. ReAct now issues a report that explores the ways in which sex and gender interact with antibiotic resistance and makes the case for all actors engaged in addressing antibiotic resistance to undertake further work in this area."

Below is the link to a recent ReAct report detailing the significance of gender on antibiotic resistance:

https://www.reactgroup.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Scoping-the-Significance-of-Gender-for-Antibiotic-Resistance-IDS-ReAct-Report-October-2020.pdf

WHO Guidance

In 2018, the WHO developed guidelines that stated a need for enhanced gender focus in tackling AMR at all levels.

"Effective coverage is key to tackling AMR and the need, use and quality (efficacy) of AMR
services and initiatives are influenced in dynamic and complex ways by gender and equity issues."

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/336977/WHO-WSI-AMR-2018.3-eng.pdf

From the literature

Studies looking at antibiotic prescription patters by gender/sex in primary care settings:

Gender differences in antibiotic prescribing in the community: a systematic review and meta-analysis https://academic.oup.com/jac/article/71/7/1800/1750612?login=true
Understanding the gender gap in antibiotic prescribing: a cross-sectional analysis of English primary care https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/bmjopen/8/2/e020203.full.pdf
The Importance of Gender-Stratified Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance of Unselected Uropathogens: A Dutch Nationwide Extramural Surveillance Study https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0060497

Self-medicating with antibiotics/antimicrobials:

Self-medication with Antibiotics and Antimalarials in the community of Khartoum State, Sudanhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/7635717_Self-medication_with_Antibiotics_and_Antimalarials_in_the_community_of_Khartoum_State_Sudan

Self-medication practices with antibiotics among Chinese university students https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S003335061500164X

Antibiotic presence in human patients:

Antibiotics in a general population: Relations with gender, body mass index (BMI) and age and their human health risks https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969717310689
Antibiotic Body Burden of Chinese School Children: A Multisite Biomonitoring-based Study https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es5059428