Taranga Reang1, Amar Tripura2
BACKGROUND
Globally, tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death due to infectious
diseases. TB continues to rank among world’s most serious health problems
despite effective diagnostic & treatment measures. The objectives of the study
were to asses and compare the knowledge of tuberculosis among rural and urban
slum population and identify the factors associated with their knowledge of
tuberculosis.
METHODS
A cross sectional study was conducted and multistage random sampling technique
was applied for selection of the individual study subjects. Data was collected using
a semi-structured and pre-tested interview schedule.
RESULTS
200 individuals were included in the study with an overall mean age (SD) of the
individuals of 36.66 (± 13.091) years. 189 (94.5) participants had heard of
tuberculosis. 36 (37.9 %) urban slum and 20 (21.3 %) rural participants said that
cough is the most common symptom of pulmonary tuberculosis. 42 (52.5 %
among rural population was having good knowledge (rural vs. urban; 52.5 % vs.
47.5 %) compared to urban slum population. Literacy (P = 0.049) and family type
(P = 0.044) have played a significant role in acquiring good knowledge of
tuberculosis among the participants irrespective of their place of residence.
CONCLUSIONS
There was no significant difference in the knowledge of TB among rural and urban
slum population. Literate persons were more aware compared to illiterate
population irrespective of their place of living. In spite of having good awareness
regarding TB, in general the knowledge level on risk factors was not satisfactory
and needs further improvement. Therefore, a special drive has to be started for
imparting knowledge to the community regarding risk factors as this could prevent
further occurrence or progress of TB.
