Knowledge about tuberculosis and its treatment among new pulmonary TB patients in the north and central regions of Vietnam

Abstract

Setting: Tuberculosis (TB) units in 42 districts in north and central Vietnam were included in the study.

Objectives: To describe patients' knowledge of TB and to evaluate the impact of the National Tuberculosis Programme's health education.

Design: New pulmonary TB patients who had received TB treatment for a minimum of 1 month were interviewed using a structured questionnaire.

Results: A total of 364 patients were interviewed; 93% of respondents reported receiving TB information from the health staff. Apart from health education, many patients reported TB information from the TV. This was more common among men than women (71.4% vs. 51.3%). The average knowledge score was 7.07 +/- 2.02 (maxium 10). This was significantly associated with level of education and receiving health education. More than half of the patients expressed fear of being known as TB patients in the community.

Conclusions: Knowledge about TB and its treatment was generally high. Marginalised groups with limited access to media and low education levels may benefit from specially targeted educational interventions. To reduce stigma and the impact of social consequences of TB, an ongoing health education programme designed to increase the knowledge level in the whole population appears warranted.