Abstract: Objective This study aimed to investigate the current status and influencing factors of knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding safe medication use among adult residents in Zibo, China, with the goal of providing a scientific basis for targeted pharmaceutical science popularization and intervention measures. This will help improve residents' rational medication use and ensure medication safety. Methods From September to December 2023, a simple random sampling method was used to select community residents in Zibo as survey subjects. A self-designed questionnaire was used to investigate their KAP regarding safe medication use. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing KAP scores. Results Among 2 484 community residents in Zibo, the average scores for the knowledge, attitude, and practice dimensions were (35.90±2.31), (22.39±2.61), and (30.91±2.16), respectively. Positive correlations were observed between the knowledge and attitude dimensions (r=0.923, P<0.01), knowledge and practice dimensions (r=0.956, P<0.01), and attitude and practice dimensions (r=0.901, P<0.01). Multivariate analysis showed that factors influencing the knowledge dimension included education level (college or above, β'=0.063), occupation (medical staff, β'=0.229; government officials, β'=0.159; teachers, β'=0.154), chronic diseases (β'=0.107), consulting doctors/pharmacists for medication knowledge (β'=0.117), and history of adverse drug reactions (β'=0.140) (all P<0.01). Factors influencing the attitude dimension included age (β'=0.075), education level (college or above, β'=0.168), occupation (medical staff, β'=0.345; government officials, β'=0.233; teachers, β'=0.173), chronic diseases (β'=0.174), consulting doctors/pharmacists for medication knowledge (β'=0.212), history of adverse drug reactions (β'=0.168), and knowledge dimension score (β'=0.392) (all P<0.01). Factors influencing the practice dimension included education level (college or above, β'=0.048), occupation (medical staff, β'=0.228; government officials, β'=0.136; teachers, β'=0.112), chronic diseases (β'=0.123), consulting doctors/pharmacists for medication knowledge (β'=0.095), history of adverse drug reactions (β'=0.090), knowledge dimension score (β'=0.127), and attitude dimension score (β'=0.283) (all P<0.05). Conclusions The KAP levels regarding safe medication use among adult residents in Zibo need improvement, with positive correlations among the three dimensions. Education level, occupation, health status, sources of medication knowledge, and history of adverse drug reactions are the main influencing factors. It is recommended to enhance residents' awareness and practices of safe medication use by strengthening knowledge dissemination, optimizing access to medication knowledge, and focusing on key populations, thereby reducing medication risks and ensuring health safety.

Key words: Community residents, Safe medication use, Knowledge, attitude and practice, Influencing factors