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. 2025 May 12;2(5):260-268.
doi: 10.5588/ijtldopen.25.0079. eCollection 2025 May.

Does nutritional support contribute to mitigating the financial burden faced by TB-affected households?

D Inthavong  1 , H Elsayed  2 , P Keonakhone  3 , V Seevisay  4 , S Souksanh  4 , S Suthepmany  1 , P Siphanthong  1 , P Sengmany  3 , B Sisounon  3 , J Sebert  1 , M Yanagawa  2 , F Morishita  2 , N Nishikiori  5 , T Yamanaka  5
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Does nutritional support contribute to mitigating the financial burden faced by TB-affected households?

D Inthavong et al. IJTLD Open. .

Abstract

Introduction: Costs for nutritional supplements and food were the main driver of costs incurred by TB-affected households in Lao People's Democratic Republic. This study assessed the impact of nutritional counselling and support on costs incurred by TB-affected households.

Methods: We conducted longitudinal data collection of costs, income, and coping mechanisms of TB-affected households within an intervention study providing nutritional counselling and support for people diagnosed with TB and having a body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2. Data collection tools were adapted from the WHO's generic national TB patient cost survey questionnaire to fit a longitudinal study design. Costs were considered catastrophic when they exceeded 20% of annual household income before TB.

Results: A total of 268 people treated for drug-susceptible TB were included in the analysis, and the prevalence of BMI <18.5 kg/m2 was 38%. The intervention group had significantly lower nutritional supplement costs and direct non-medical costs after TB diagnosis than the observation group. The intervention group had less progressive catastrophic costs (+23.3 percentage points) than the observation group (+30.9 percentage points).

Conclusion: Nutritional counselling and support were significantly associated with a reduction in the proportion of TB-affected households facing catastrophic costs due to TB.

Keywords: Laos; catastrophic costs; patient costs; tuberculosis; undernutrition.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Percentage of TB-affected households facing costs >20% of annual household income by study group and body mass index at TB diagnosis.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percentage of TB-affected households facing costs >20% of annual household income by TB treatment phase.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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