ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOR IN TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS DIAGNOSED AT NITRD-OPD – A QUESTIONNAIRE-BASED STUDY
Main Article Content
Keywords
Tuberculosis, Health-seeking behavior, National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.
Abstract
Background: Tuberculosis remains a significant public health challenge in India. Effective management relies on patients exhibiting positive health-seeking behavior. This study assessed health-seeking behavior among tuberculosis patients attending the outpatient department of the National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases in New Delhi, India.
Methods: A cross-sectional study recruited 100 consenting adult tuberculosis patients. Data was collected through similar pre- and post-education questionnaires exploring demographics, general health-seeking behavior, and tuberculosis-specific knowledge. Descriptive analysis evaluated the impact of educational interventions delivered by healthcare professionals.
Results: A substantial portion of participants displayed limited knowledge about tuberculosis. The patient interview showed that not more than 50% of the participant patients showed appropriate general health-seeking behavior. The intervention in the form of health education significantly improved the health-seeking behavior. Appropriate knowledge about Tuberculosis, which was exhibited by only 35.1% of participants, rose to 80.3% after the health education.
Conclusion: This study highlights the need for enhanced patient education on tuberculosis. Addressing socioeconomic disparities and tuberculosis-related stigma is also crucial. Effective communication between healthcare providers and patients can empower individuals to make informed treatment decisions, ultimately leading to improved TB management. There was a significant difference in patient responses after the education of the participants.
References
2. NATIONAL TB ELIMINATION PROGRAMME Central TB Division Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
3. Pandey A, Brauer M, Cropper ML, Balakrishnan K, Mathur P, Dey S, et al. Health and economic impact of air pollution in the states of India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. Lancet Planet Health. 2021 Jan;5(1):e25–38.
4. Gupta S, Virk A, Mittal A, Agarwal B. Patterns and determinants of healthcare-seeking behavior among hypertensive patients in a rural population of north India: A mixed-method study. J Family Med Prim Care [Internet]. 2020;9(6):2830. Available from:
https://journals.lww.com/jfmpc/Fulltext/2020/09060/Patterns_and_determinants_of_healthcare_seeking.43.aspx
5. Latunji OO, Akinyemi OO. FACTORS INFLUENCING HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOUR AMONG CIVIL SERVANTS IN IBADAN, NIGERIA. Ann Ib Postgrad Med. 2018 Jun;16(1):52–60.
6. Haileamlak A. Editorial: What factors affect health seeking behavior? Ethiop J Health Sci. 2018 Mar 22;28(2):110.
7. Paul B, Kirubakaran R, Isaac R, Dozier M, Grant L, Weller D. A systematic review of the theory of planned behaviour interventions for chronic diseases in low health-literacy settings. J Glob Health. 2023 Sep 8;13:04079.
8. Sood P, Bindra S. Modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale: 2022 update of India. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2022 Sep 28;9(10):3841.
9. Radhakrishnan M, Nagaraja SB. Modified Kuppuswamy socioeconomic scale 2023: stratification and updates. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2023 Oct 31;10(11):4415–8.
10. Gupta S, Arora V, Sharma OP, Satyanarayana L, Gupta AK. Prevalence & pattern of respiratory diseases including Tuberculosis in elderly in Ghaziabad – Delhi – NCR. Indian Journal of Tuberculosis. 2016 Oct;63(4):236–41.
11. Barua K, Borah M, Deka C, Kakati R. Morbidity pattern and health-seeking behavior of elderly in urban slums: A cross-sectional study in Assam, India. J Family Med Prim Care. 2017;6(2):345.
12. Onyango PA, Ter Goon D, Rala NMD. Knowledge, Attitudes and Health-seeking behaviour among Patients with Tuberculosis: A Cross-sectional Study. Open Public Health J. 2020 Dec 31;13(1):739–47.
13. Ray M, Guha S, Ray M, Karak A, Choudhury B, Ray B, et al. A questionnaire survey for improving awareness of rheumatic heart disease among school-aged children in India. Indian Heart J [Internet]. 2020 Sep;72(5):410–5. Available from:
https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0019483220301887
14. Gavgani VZ, Qeisari E, Jafarabadi MA. Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB): A Study of a Health Information Seeking Behavior (HISB): A Study of a Developing Country Developing Country [Internet]. Available from: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac
15. Ojha UC, Spalgais S, Ranjan A, Choudhari OK. Respiratory health evaluation of construction workers using questionnaire. RUDN Journal of Medicine. 2021 Dec 17;25(4):313–20.
16. Abuduxike G, Aşut Ö, Vaizoğlu SA, Cali S. Health-seeking behaviors and its determinants: A facility-based cross-sectional study in the Turkish republic of northern Cyprus. Int J Health Policy Manag. 2020 Jun 1;9(6):240–9.
17. Prinja S, Singh MP, Aggarwal V, Rajsekar K, Gedam P, Goyal A, et al. Impact of India’s publicly financed health insurance scheme on public sector district hospitals: a health financing perspective. The Lancet Regional Health - Southeast Asia. 2023 Feb;9:100123.
18. Gabrani J, Schindler C, Wyss K. Health Seeking Behavior Among Adults and Elderly With Chronic Health Condition(s) in Albania. Front Public Health. 2021 Mar 16;9.
19. Dawood OT, Hassali MA, Saleem F, Ibrahim IR, Abdulameer AH, Jasim HH. Assessment of health seeking behaviour and self-medication among general public in the state of Penang, Malaysia. Pharm Pract (Granada) [Internet]. 2017 Sep 30;15(3):991–991. Available from: https://www.pharmacypractice.org/index.php/pp/article/view/991
20. Aranha PR, Lobo MR, Patil S. Assessment of Health-Seeking Behavior among Undergraduate Students at a University. Journal of Health and Allied Sciences NU. 2022 Oct;12(04):385–91.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Dr Yatin Malhotra
MPH student, IIHMR-John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (Baltimore, USA)
Dr Neeta Singla
Head, Dept of Epidemiology and Public Health, National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, New Delhi