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. 2022 Nov 23;22(1):2153.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-022-14579-7.

The socioeconomic impact of tuberculosis on children and adolescents: a scoping review and conceptual framework

S Atkins  1   2 , L Heimo  3 , D J Carter  4 , M Ribas Closa  3 , L Vanleeuw  3   5 , L Chenciner  6 , P Wambi  7 , K Sidney-Annerstedt  8 , U Egere  9 , S Verkuijl  10 , A Brands  10 , T Masini  10 , K Viney  10 , T Wingfield  8   9   11 , K Lönnroth  8 , D Boccia  4
Affiliations

The socioeconomic impact of tuberculosis on children and adolescents: a scoping review and conceptual framework

S Atkins et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) has been repeatedly shown to have socioeconomic impacts in both individual-level and ecological studies; however, much less is known about this effect among children and adolescents and the extent to which being affected by TB during childhood and adolescence can have life-course implications. This paper describes the results of the development of a conceptual framework and scoping review to review the evidence on the short- and long-term socioeconomic impact of tuberculosis on children and adolescents.

Objectives: To increase knowledge of the socioeconomic impact of TB on children and adolescents.

Methods: We developed a conceptual framework of the socioeconomic impact of TB on children and adolescents, and used scoping review methods to search for evidence supporting or disproving it. We searched four academic databases from 1 January 1990 to 6 April 2021 and conducted targeted searches of grey literature. We extracted data using a standard form and analysed data thematically.

Results: Thirty-six studies (29 qualitative, five quantitative and two mixed methods studies) were included in the review. Overall, the evidence supported the conceptual framework, suggesting a severe socioeconomic impact of TB on children and adolescents through all the postulated pathways. Effects ranged from impoverishment, stigma, and family separation, to effects on nutrition and missed education opportunities. TB did not seem to exert a different socioeconomic impact when directly or indirectly affecting children/adolescents, suggesting that TB can affect this group even when they are not affected by the disease. No study provided sufficient follow-up to observe the long-term socioeconomic effect of TB in this age group.

Conclusion: The evidence gathered in this review reinforces our understanding of the impact of TB on children and adolescents and highlights the importance of considering effects during the entire life course. Both ad-hoc and sustainable social protection measures and strategies are essential to mitigate the socioeconomic consequences of TB among children and adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescence; Childhood; Life-course; Socioeconomic; Tuberculosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Conceptual framework of the socioeconomic impact pathways of tuberculosis (TB) on children and adolescents TB = Tuberculosis**1,2,3 refer to the material, educational and psychosocial pathways respectively, both for the direct and indirect impact. The light blue boxes are considered as outcomes and the dark blue are impact
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
PRISMA flowchart for paper inclusion by review stage. PRISMA flowchart as described in [15]
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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