Americans' Knowledge and Perceived Risk of Tuberculosis

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) has resurged as a major public health problem in the United States, but there is minimal information on the public's knowledge of TB. The general population must become aware of the seriousness of the reemergence of TB. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey Supplement, this study examined knowledge and perceived risk of TB of 14,727 U.S. respondents. Results demonstrated some general knowledge of TB, several misconceptions, and low concern regarding their risk of contracting TB. Only 10.2% of the respondents perceived risk for themselves. Respondents reported perceived knowledge of TB at a high level, while their actual knowledge was lower. Gender, education, income, and ethnicity were associated with knowledge and perceived risk. Older people responded correctly to questions about TB knowledge more often than younger people. Conclusions were that public health nursing efforts need to be redirected toward health education regarding TB risk and spread, complementing existing screening and therapy programs.

Applying the Health Belief Model to Analyze Intention to Participate in Preventive Pulmonary Tuberculosis Chest X-Ray Examinations Among Indigenous Nursing Students

“…Unlike many other studies, and a point of concern for the researchers was that the level of professional knowledge about TB among study subjects was similar to that among the general public (Ailinger et al, 2003;Ailinger, Armstrong, Nguyen, & Lasus, 2004;Carey et al, 1997;Gibson et al, 2005;Nyamathi et al, 2004;Orrett & Shurland, 2001;Westaway, 1989). In addition, answers to questions targeted to test knowledge show that study subjects may hold fundamental misunderstandings regarding TB.…”

“…However, youth have a poor understanding of TB knowledge compared to those in older age groups (Ailinger, Lasus, & Dear, 2003). Orrett and Shurland (2001) also pointed out that knowledge of TB was generally poor among pre-university students in a developing country with a high TB infection rate.…”

“…Even some health practitioners have downplayed TB's seriousness and given misleading or erroneous advice regarding prevention and treatment (Hong et al, 1995). Knowledge and perceptions regarding TB represent a vital preliminary step in TB health education program planning in order to dispel misconceptions and improve both the knowledge and levels of awareness of tuberculosis within society (Ailinger et al, 2003).…”

Barriers and Delays in Tuberculosis Diagnosis and Treatment Services: Does Gender Matter?

“…Of these, 323 articles were reviewed in full-text form, and 137 studies met our selection criteria and were included in our review (Figure 1). Among the included studies, there was one (<1%) cluster-randomized clinical trial [91], one (<1%) pragmatic randomized controlled trial [55], eight (6%) cohort studies [33, 37, 67, 68, 87, 92, 136, 137], one (<1%) case-control study [69], and 126 (92%) cross-sectional studies [12–32, 34–36, 38–54, 56–66, 70–86, 88–90, 93–135, 138–147, 151]. Most studies (76%) assessed persons presenting for care with diagnosed or suspected TB, and the median sample size was 335 (IQR 190–1000) with women comprising less than half of the study population (median, interquartile range [IQR]: 42%, 34–49%).…”

Tuberculosis Knowledge, Perceived Risk and Risk Behaviors Among Homeless Adults: Effect of Ethnicity and Injection Drug Use

“…Gender, education, income, and ethnicity were associated with knowledge and perceived risk. 35 Contributing factors for transmission of TB include residence in congregate settings and a high prevalence among persons born in countries where TB is endemic. 34 Acceptance of screening and any necessary chemoprophylaxis is poor when knowledge about the disease is limited or inaccurate.…”