This analysis used data from the Growing Up in New Zealand longitudinal cohort study (www.growingup.co.nz) with linkage to national administrative antibiotic dispensing data to describe community antibiotic dispensing during the first 5 years of life. It also sought to determine how antibiotic dispensing varies between population subgroups. The cohort comprised 5581 children who were treated with 53,052 antibiotic courses, over half (54%) of which were amoxicillin. By age 5 years, 97% of children had received ≥1 antibiotic courses, and each child had received a median of 8 antibiotic courses. The mean incidence of antibiotic dispensing was 1.9 courses/ child/year. In multivariable negative binomial regression analysis, antibiotic courses were dispensed more often to Māori and Pacific children than European children, and to children residing in the most-deprived compared with the least-deprived areas. A distinct seasonal pattern suggested that much antibiotic use may have been for self-limiting respiratory infections.
