Assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding tuberculosis among final year students in Yazd, Central Iran

Assessment of Knowledge of Communicable Diseases Among Medical Students at Al-Balqa Applied University

INTRODUCTION

Medical education is the foundation of knowledge among medical students. This study aims to investigate the knowledge of medical students at Al-Balqa Applied University, exploring their awareness of five communicable diseases, namely, leishmaniasis, hepatitis B, tuberculosis, measles, and cholera.

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey included 271 participants who answered a structured validated questionnaire with varying questions on causes, symptoms, complications, transmission routes, and preventive measures for each disease.

RESULTS

Knowledge of all five communicable diseases was low. Leishmaniasis knowledge was notably low (mean=6.07, SD=1.43), with participants grappling with misconceptions about transmission modes, symptoms, and preventability. Hepatitis B knowledge was also low (mean=10.46, SD=1.67), especially regarding transmission modes, revealing that 76% of students were unaware of how the virus spreads. Tuberculosis knowledge unveiled gaps (mean=7.007, SD=1.90), particularly in recognizing the causes, symptoms, and transmission routes. Measles knowledge (mean=9.56, SD=1.92) indicated a robust understanding of symptoms but unveiled misconceptions about complications and transmission routes. For cholera (mean=14.50, SD=1.98), a knowledge of symptoms was demonstrated, but confusion about causative agents, transmission routes, and preventive measures was highlighted.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the study emphasize the critical need for enhanced educational strategies including curriculum revisions, increased practical exposure, engaging awareness campaigns, and the integration of interactive learning methods to increase knowledge about communicable diseases.

Knowledge, attitude and practice towards tuberculosis among healthcare and non-healthcare students at a public university in Saudi Arabia

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection. It mostly affects the lungs (pulmonary TB), but it can also affect other organs. This cross-sectional study evaluated knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) related to TB among King Khalid University (KKU) students between October and November 2023.

Objective

The objective of this study was to investigate current TB knowledge, attitudes, and practices of students at King Khalid University in Abha, Saudi Arabia.

Methods

A self-administered, cross-sectional, descriptive, web-based questionnaire was conducted from October to December 2023 among the students of King Khalid University. We used a 29-item questionnaire with five sections. Section 1 contained five questions about sociodemographic factors, there were 13 knowledge questions in Section 2, Section 3 contained 7 attitude questions, Section 4 contained 3 practice questions, and Section 5 contained 1 source of information question. A chi-squared test was used to assess differences in participants' knowledge, attitude, and practices in relation to their demographic variables (p < 0.05).

Results

A total of 518 students completed the questionnaire. 53.66% were healthcare students and 46.33% non-healthcare students. The mean scores for healthcare and non-healthcare students, respectively, were as follows: knowledge 11.80 ± 4.81, 7.35 ± 4.96; attitude 6.94 ± 1.33, 5.05 ± 2.09; and practice 2.26 ± 0.85, 1.14 ± 0.87. The results of this study showed good knowledge (24.82 and 5.83% for healthcare and non-healthcare students, respectively) good attitude (67.62 and 46.25%) and good practice (45.32 and 9.58%). A total of 24.32% healthcare students and 28.18% non-healthcare students reported that most effective sources for obtaining information about TB were social networks, the internet and the radio.

Conclusion

The current study concludes that the knowledge, attitude, and practice about TB among healthcare faculty students is better than their non-healthcare counterparts. However, there are still areas of poor knowledge, attitude and practice toward some aspects of TB among the two categories, which shows the necessity of educational intervention that aims at improving student understanding about the disease and its impact on public health.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice towards Tuberculosis among Taif University Students

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health concern worldwide. Given the dense living and interactive nature of university environments, students may be at higher risk. This cross-sectional study assessed tuberculosis-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among students at Taif University (TU) from November 2022 to May 2023. Using a self-administered online questionnaire with 40 items, 1155 students participated. Key demographics: 68.2% females, 96.9% Saudi citizens, 94.5% unmarried, and 87.5% non-smokers. Of the respondents, 26.5% had no knowledge of TB. The TB-related KAP scores among the aware students were 64.9%, 74.8%, and 81%, respectively. Medical college students exhibited significantly higher TB-related knowledge and attitudes than their non-medical peers (p < 0.001). The findings indicate a commendable level of TB-awareness among TU students, but there remains a substantial uninformed segment. Campaigns to enhance TB knowledge among TU students are suggested.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Toward Tuberculosis Among Health Faculty and Non-Health Faculty Students of Kabul University and Kabul University of Medical Sciences, Kabul, Afghanistan

Introduction

Afghanistan ranks 24th among the countries with a high TB death rate. The number of TB patients has unfortunately increased by 3% during 2022 compared to 2021. University students are among the high-risk groups for TB. The frequent and high level of person-to-person contact in universities increases the transmission of infectious diseases including TB. This study aimed to evaluate the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices of university students regarding tuberculosis to better understand the situation.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among 415 health and non-health faculty students between October and December 2022. Multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used to collect the data and data were analyzed using SPSSv25. Cross-tabulation and a Chi-Square test were used to identify differences between groups.

Results

The results of this study showed that 18.1% of health and 2.4% of non-health faculty students had good knowledge about TB. There was a significant difference in the knowledge of health and non-health faculty students (P value<0.01). The level of good attitude of health and non-health faculty students about TB was 26.7% and 14.9%, respectively. Regarding practices, 41.9% of health faculty students and 29.8% of non-health faculty students had good practices about TB. There was a significant difference in the attitude (P value = 0.03) and practices (P value = 0.024) of health and non-health faculty students (health faculty students had better knowledge, attitude, and practices.).

Conclusion

The knowledge, attitude, and practices of health and non-health faculty students were insufficient about TB. The practice level of health faculty students was poorer than what was expected based on their field. Television and the Internet played a good role in informing students about TB. So, both can be used for transferring good knowledge, positive attitudes, and correct practices about TB to society.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward tuberculosis among Jordanian university students

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of death from infectious diseases worldwide with numerous undiagnosed and untreated cases, emphasizing the need for TB awareness to minimize transmission and initiate early treatment. Data regarding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) toward TB among Jordanians is lacking but requires attention given the massive migration spells to Jordan from neighboring countries in the past decade.

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2022. An online questionnaire was developed following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for TB KAP surveys and was distributed to Jordanian university students. The questionnaire documented sociodemographic data and measured participants' KAP toward TB. Descriptive and analytic statistics were used to report KAP levels and highlight relevant sociodemographic factors associated with better KAP.

Results

602 participants completed the survey; most were females (60.8%), in their first 3 years of school (84.4%), and from a healthcare field of study (57.0%). The knowledge section median score was 27 out of 51. Knowledge gaps in TB treatment, and to a lesser extent, TB transmission routes were identified. The attitudes section median score was 6 out of 9, attitudes were generally positive toward TB patients with no indication of a social stigma. The practice section median score was 6 out of 8, most participants would take the correct measures if they suspected being infected, yet around 41.0% were not confident that masks are important in preventing airborne diseases. Students in healthcare specialties had significantly better KAP scores and identifying as a smoker was associated with a lower practice score.

Conclusion

Although university students displayed satisfactory KAP scores, the focus should be aimed at informing students from non-healthcare fields on TB transmission routes, treatment options, and the role of masks in preventing disease transmission.

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Preventative Behavior Toward Tuberculosis in University Students in Indonesia

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and preventative behaviors of university students in Indonesia toward Tuberculosis (TB).

Patients and Methods

Participants included students from a university in West Java, Indonesia, who were aged ≥18 years, had access to electronic communication devices and the internet, and agreed to participate in this study. This cross-sectional study invited participants to fill an online questionnaire on Google Forms, and the study was conducted from February to March 2021. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the demographic characteristics of participants. Differences in participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and preventative behavior were analyzed using t-test. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationships between variables. Characteristics of participants that influenced preventative behavior toward TB were analyzed using linear multiple regression analysis.

Results

This study included 524 students. The average knowledge scores out of a possible 11 points of health and non-health students were 7.03 ± 2.36 (out of 11) and 4.98 ± 2.20, respectively. The attitude was 45.40 ± 4.17 (out of 52), 43.75 ± 4.09 respectively, and their average scores out of 44 for preventative behaviors toward TB were 33.08 ± 4.49 and 33.16 ± 4.40, respectively. Female students and students from health faculties demonstrated greater knowledge and better attitudes. Students with a postgraduate academic degree had better knowledge and attitudes and engaged in more preventative behavior. Students who did not smoke had greater knowledge than those who did, and students who had received information about TB engaged in more preventative behavior.

Conclusion

Faculty, knowledge of symptoms, preventative examinations, and attitudes toward preventative examinations, treatment, and preventative education, were found to affect TB prevention behavior. These variables should be emphasized in the development of university TB socialization and education programs. The internet and social media should be used in TB education for students.

Knowledge of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis amongst Durban University of Technology students in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa: the need for integrating public health education

Background

Kwazulu-Natal is the epicenter of South Africa's Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) burden which represents a growing threat to public health. Knowledge and awareness of MDR-TB are crucial for effective management and University students are an important vehicle for knowledge transfer of public health education.

Objective

This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of MDR TB and risk factors for transmission, prevention, treatment and control of MDR-TB among Durban University of Technology (DUT) students.

Methods

This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 150 randomly sampled undergraduate students from 3 faculties and data was collected using a validated questionnaire.

Results

While a majority of participants (70.67%) had previous knowledge on TB, only 30.67% knew of MDR-TB. Only 23.49% of students reported knowledge of preventative measures associated with MDR TB. Women had a lower probability of having knowledge of MDR-TB compared to men (OR=0.45; CI:0.22,0.95; p<0.05) and students from the Accounting and Informatics faculty were less likely to believe that MDR-TB was a life-threatening illness (OR=0.24; CI:0.05,1.44; p<0.05) and showed limited knowledge of MDR-TB transmission.

Conclusion

This study showed that students lacked knowledge of MDR-TB with respect to risk factors, treatment and prevention, which necessitates intervention strategies at a tertiary level to educate and inform students about MDR-TB.

Knowledge of tuberculosis among female sex workers in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh: a cross sectional study

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health problem in developing countries like Bangladesh. Female sex workers (FSWs) and their clients are active sources for spreading TB. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of TB among FSWs in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh.

Methods

It was a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 225 FSWs. The knowledge on TB was measured by six different questions. Chi-square test and multinomial logistic regression model were used in this study to find the associated factors of lack of general knowledge on TB among FSWs.

Results

Out of 225 FSWs, 43.1, 34.7 and 22.2% came from urban, rural and slum areas respectively. More than 41% FSWs perceived that TB is a non-communicable disease. A large number of FSWs (76.4%) did not know the spread of TB. It was found that more than 90% FSWs did not have knowledge on latent TB. The χ₂-test demonstrated that FSWs’ education, monthly family income, age, currently marital status and sex trading place were significantly associated with their knowledge on TB. A remarkable number of FWSs (42.2%) had poor knowledge on TB. It was found that comparatively higher educated FWSs were more likely to have good or fair knowledge on TB than lower educated ones (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

This study revealed that near to half of FSWs in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh had poor knowledge on TB. Public health authorities should pay due attention and adopt policy for increasing the knowledge on TB among FSWs to reduce the incidence of TB in Bangladesh. Subsequently, advocacy, communication for social mobilization program is very urgent.

Educational Needs Assessment of General Practitioners in Tuberculosis Control and Management

BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis is one of the top 10 causes of mortality worldwide. It is also the leading cause of death in HIV-positive patients. In this study, we aimed to assess the educational needs of general practitioners regarding tuberculosis in the North Health Center of Tehran, Iran.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This quantitative and qualitative study was conducted in 2017. In the quantitative phase, 31 general practitioners from the North Health Center of Tehran were included. The educational needs assessment was performed using the knowledge assessment and self-assessment scales. Data were entered in SPSS version 21 and analyzed using descriptive tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient test. In the qualitative phase, data were collected by interviewing six managers of tuberculosis monitoring program and analyzed using the content analysis method.

RESULTS

The mean score of the knowledge assessment scale was 22.8±6.4. The most and the least important educational needs were related to treatment and general information about tuberculosis, respectively. Moreover, tuberculosis treatment and general information about tuberculosis were the most and the least important educational needs in the self-assessment scale, respectively. There was a poor correlation between the mean scores of self-assessment scale and knowledge assessment scale regarding tuberculosis prevention (P=0.01, r=0.27). Also, a moderate correlation was found regarding tuberculosis screening (P=0.001, r=0.56). However, no significant correlation was found in terms of general information (P=0.31), diagnosis (P=0.43), and treatment (P=0.29) of tuberculosis. Five major themes were extracted in the qualitative phase of the study, including "training time", "educational content", "educational references", "teaching method", and "organizational factors".

CONCLUSION

An appropriate educational program should be developed for general practitioners in form of continuing education and educational reform.

Knowledge and determinants regarding tuberculosis among medical students in Hunan, China: a cross-sectional study

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide. Insufficient TB knowledge may increase the risk of contracting the disease among medical students. The purpose of this study was to assess the level of TB knowledge and analyse related determinants among medical students.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was performed among final-year medical students from three main undergraduate medical universities in Hunan Province. TB knowledge, attitude and practice were assessed using a questionnaire. A t-test and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted to explore the association between TB knowledge and influencing factors.

Results

The total mean percentage of correct answers for TB knowledge was 44.4% (SD 13.5%), including 52.5% (SD 16.8%) for epidemiology and prevention, 35.7% (SD 16.1%) for diagnosis, and 47.5% (SD 22.7%) for treatment. Medical students who reported observing at least one TB case and an X-ray of a TB patient had a higher percentage of correct answers for epidemiology and prevention (54.4% vs 43.9%, p < 0.001; 54.3% vs 42.1%, p < 0.001), diagnosis (37.2% vs 29.0%, p < 0.001; 37.1% vs 27.5%, p < 0.001), treatment (50.0% vs 36.0%, p < 0.001; 49.5% vs 35.7%, p < 0.001) and total score (46.2% vs 36.2, p < 0.001; 46.0% vs 34.7%, p < 0.001). Older medical students (≥23 years) had greater knowledge than younger medical students (< 23 years) regarding diagnosis (37.2% vs 31.7%, p < 0.001). The multivariable linear regression analysis determined an association between observing at least one TB case and an X-ray of a TB patient and greater knowledge of epidemiology and prevention (β = 5.6, 95% CI: 2.3, 8.9; β = 8.2, 95% CI: 4.6, 11.8), diagnosis (β = 3.9, 95% CI: 0.8, 7.1; β = 5.7, 95% CI: 2.2, 9.2) and treatment (β = 10.1, 95% CI: 5.6, 14.5; β = 7.0, 95% CI: 2.2, 11.8) and a higher total score (β = 5.5, 95% CI: 2.9, 8.1; β = 6.6, 95% CI: 3.8, 9.5). Moreover, an older age (≥23 years) was associated with more accurate knowledge of diagnosis (β = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.8, 6.1) and a higher total score (β = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.6).

Conclusion

Poor TB knowledge was observed among medical students, which implied a need to innovate our current infectious disease curriculum to promote TB knowledge and practices among medical students.

Development and psychometric testing of the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) questionnaire among student Tuberculosis (TB) Patients (STBP-KAPQ) in China

BACKGROUND

TB outbreaking in schools is extremely complex, and presents a major challenge for public health. Understanding the knowledge, attitudes and practices among student TB patients in such settings is fundamental when it comes to decreasing future TB cases. The objective of this study was to develop a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Questionnaire among Student Tuberculosis Patients (STBP-KAPQ), and evaluate its psychometric properties.

METHODS

This study was conducted in three stages: item construction, pilot testing in 10 student TB patients and psychometric testing, including reliability and validity. The item pool for the questionnaire was compiled from literature review and early individual interviews. The questionnaire items were evaluated by the Delphi method based on 12 experts. Reliability and validity were assessed using student TB patients (n = 416) and healthy students (n = 208). Reliability was examined with internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability. Content validity was calculated by content validity index (CVI); Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); The Public Tuberculosis Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Questionnaire (PTB-KAPQ) was applied to evaluate criterion validity; As concerning discriminant validity, T-test was performed.

RESULTS

The final STBP-KAPQ consisted of three dimensions and 25 items. Cronbach's α coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.817 and 0.765, respectively. Content validity index (CVI) was 0.962. Seven common factors were extracted by principal factor analysis and varimax rotation, with a cumulative contribution of 66.253%. The resulting CFA model of the STBP-KAPQ exhibited an appropriate model fit (χ2/df = 1.74, RMSEA = 0.082, CFI = 0.923, NNFI = 0.962). STBP-KAPQ and PTB-KAPQ had a strong correlation in the knowledge part, and the correlation coefficient was 0.606 (p < 0.05). Discriminant validity was supported through a significant difference between student TB patients and healthy students across all domains (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

An instrument, "Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Questionnaire among Student Tuberculosis Patients (STBP-KAPQ)" was developed. Psychometric testing indicated that it had adequate validity and reliability for use in KAP researches with student TB patients in China. The new tool might help public health researchers evaluate the level of KAP in student TB patients, and it could also be used to examine the effects of TB health education.

A cross-sectional study about knowledge and attitudes toward multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in a high-burden drug-resistant country

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of death worldwide, with new threats of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB. Pakistan is the fifth highest among high-burden TB countries and the fourth highest among high-burden drug-resistant-TB countries. Pakistan is the sixth most populous country in the world, and Pakistani youth is the highest population group in Pakistan and second in the world. This study was aimed at assessing the understanding, awareness, and mindset of university students toward TB, MDR TB, and XDR TB in Lahore.

METHODS

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed on 1137 individuals from three major public-sector universities in Lahore, Pakistan. Information regarding their knowledge and attitude toward MDR and XDR TB was gathered using a structured questionnaire. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20.

RESULTS

Male (531) and female (606) students were asked about different aspects of MDR and XDR TB. Although 80.47% students had good knowledge about simple TB, a very small fraction had awareness and appropriate knowledge about MDR/XDR-TB. Considering TB as a stigma, only 9.3% students disclosed that they had household TB contact. Only 25% students knew about XDR TB.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicated that a small fraction of people knew the exact definition and treatment duration of MDR TB and XDR TB in our society. There is a need to increase the awareness and knowledge status of university students about MDR and XDR TB.

Assessment of knowledge regarding tuberculosis among non-medical university students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of human death and TB is one of the major public health problems in Bangladesh. The aim of the present study was to assess the Knowledge about TB among non-medical university students in Bangladesh.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was performed on 839 non-medical university students. Data were collected from University of Rajshahi from March to August 2013 using a standard semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was utilized to find the factors which are associated with students’ knowledge about TB.

Results

Among 839 students, male and female were 68.2 % and 31.8 % respectively. Most of the students (94.4 %) were informed about the term TB, among them 50 % got information from electronic media. More than 50 % students believed that TB is a communicable disease, 42.8 % students agreed that bacteria is an agent for TB, most of the subjects (93 %) had the knowledge about the vaccination against TB and 97.6 % students believed that TB is curable. However, students had poor knowledge about latent TB (13.7 %) and DOTs program (28.5 %). χ²-test demonstrated that gender, residence, type of family and parents education were associated with students’ knowledge of TB.

Conclusion

In the present study demonstrated that the level of general knowledge about TB was insufficient among non-medical university students. Consequently, health education program is needed to improve the knowledge among university students regarding TB.

Lack of optimum practice among health care workers regarding tuberculosis in Iran: A knowledge, attitude, and practice study

BACKGROUND

Lack of knowledge toward tuberculosis (TB) among health care workers (HCWs) increases the risk of developing TB. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice of HCWs in Iran.

METHODS

We conducted a cross-sectional study in 50 universities of medical sciences throughout Iran. A questionnaire was developed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of participants. The values of Cronbach α coefficients for the knowledge and attitude questions were .76 and .75, respectively.

RESULTS

The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice among TB laboratory staff regarding TB was 82.6 (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.0-83.7), 87.6 (95% CI, 87.1-88.0), and 57.9 (95% CI, 56.9-58.9), respectively. The mean scores of knowledge, attitude, and practice among non-TB laboratory staff regarding TB was 69.5 (95% CI, 67.9-71.1), 50.7 (95% CI, 50.1-51.4), and 40.82 (95% CI, 38.2-43.4), respectively.

CONCLUSION

TB laboratory staff scored relatively well in knowledge and attitude of TB, but they scored lower in practice regarding TB. Non-TB laboratory staff had lower scores than TB laboratory staff in knowledge, attitude, and practice. There is a major gap between knowledge and attitude and practice in both groups. It is therefore essential to plan for the continuing in-service training of HCWs and public training of the general population regarding TB.