Perception and Knowledge of Tuberculosis and Its Services among Slum Dwellers in Chhattisgarh
Janmejaya Samal
Keywords :
Behavior, knowledge, slum dwellers, tuberculosis, vulnerable population
Citation Information :
Samal J. Perception and Knowledge of Tuberculosis and Its Services among Slum Dwellers in Chhattisgarh. Indian J Respir Care 2017; 6 (2):828-831.
Background: The level of knowledge and behavior of tuberculosis (TB) patients and the vulnerable population can affect the control of TB in a particular community.
Objective: The main objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge and behavior regarding TB among slum dwellers in Chhattisgarh, India.
Materials and Methods: A total of 100 families were selected from two different slum areas in Durg district of Chhattisgarh through simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the information from the slum dwellers.
Results: Ninety-five percent of the respondents knew that TB is caused by bacteria, 82% knew that TB is transmissible, 63% were aware of different modes of TB transmission, 97% could tell about the symptoms of TB, and 76% of participants were aware about the curability of TB. Seventy-five percent of the slum dwellers were aware that TB treatment is free of cost at public health facilities; 68% were aware that TB is preventable, and 91% could tell about various preventive measures of TB. It was observed from this study that the slum dwellers have relatively poor knowledge about the modes of TB transmission and its preventability showing that proper health education approaches must be implemented to bring down this knowledge gap.
Conclusion: Health education and awareness programs need to be carried out to further improve the knowledge of slum dwellers. This would ensure their seeking proper help at appropriate time and place and take precautionary measures against contracting TB.
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