Background
Methods
Ethical considerations
Study setting
Study participant selection
Data management and analysis
Results
Socio-demographic characteristics of the participants
Characteristic | Patients, No. (%) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Age, mean (SD), y | 30.7 (9.4) | ||
Sex | |||
Male | 132 (57.1) | ||
Female | 99 (42.9) | ||
Hospital admission status | |||
Hospitalised | 72 (25.5) | ||
Outpatients | 159 (74.5) | ||
Highest education level attained | |||
None | 21 (9.1) | ||
Primary school | 118 (51.1) | ||
Secondary | 58 (25.1) | ||
Post-secondary | 13 (5.6) | ||
Tertiary | 21 (9.1) | ||
No. of persons in Household | |||
(1) | 24 (10.4) | ||
(>1) | 207 (89.6) | ||
Weekly Alcohol consumption | |||
Daily | 35 (15.2) | ||
Sometimes | 47 (20.3) | ||
Rarely | 26 (11.3) | ||
Never | 123 (53.2) | ||
Main Occupation | |||
Subsistence farming | 28 (12.1) | ||
Unskilled workers | 115 (49.8) | ||
Skilled workers | 56 (24.2) | ||
Students | 20 (8.7) | ||
Unemployed | 12 (5.2) | ||
Medical expenditure on TB related symptoms, US $ | |||
0–29 | 123 (53.2) | ||
>29 | 108 (46.8) | ||
Distance from home to treatment centre, km | |||
<25 | 197 (85.3) | ||
>25 | 34 (14.7) | ||
Distribution of the time delays
| |||
Patient delay | Health service delay | Total delay | |
Median, wk | 1.0 | 9.0 | 12.0 |
Interquartile Range, wk | 0.9–4.0 | 5.3–15.3 | 8.0–20.0 |
Delay >2 wk | 70 (30.3) | 207 (89.6) | 231 (100) |
Delay >4 wk | 40 (14.7) | 188 (81.4) | 210 (90.9) |
Clinical characteristics of the participants at presentation
Distribution of the various time delays
Place of first presentation
First health facility visited | Number | % | Patient delay | Health service delay | Total delay |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pharmacy/Drug shop | 91 | 39.4 | 1.0 | 10.6 | 12.0 |
Private clinic | 85 | 36.8 | 1.0 | 8.4 | 12.0 |
Traditional healer | 21 | 9.1 | 3.0 | 9.9 | 12.0 |
Government hospital | 13 | 5.6 | 4.0 | 7.1 | 12.0 |
Health center | 10 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 13.7 | 22.0 |
NTLP center | 9 | 3.9 | 10.0 | 0.0 | 10.0 |
Non Governmental hospital* | 2 | 0.9 |
Respondents' awareness of TB symptoms and perceived causes
Factors associated with patient delay
Variable | n | % Patient delay >2 weeks | Unadjusted odds ratio (95% CI) | n* | Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age 18–40, y | 205 | 30.2 | 0.98 (0.40–2.40) | NA | |
Male | 132 | 35.6 | 1.83 (1.02–3.29) | NA | |
Hospitalised | 59 | 16.9 | 0.38 (0.18–0.81) | 56 | 0.32 (0.12–0.80)‡ |
Marital status separated/single | 125 | 30.4 | 1.01 (0.58–1.77) | NA | |
Post primary education Level | 92 | 25.0 | 0.65 (0.36–1.18) | NA | |
>1 Household persons | 207 | 28.5 | 0.47 (0.20–1.11) | NA | |
Daily Alcohol consumption | 38 | 51.5 | 2.93 (1.41–6.11) | 34 | 3.70 (1.57–9.76)‡ |
Subsistence farming | 28 | 46.4 | 2.22 (1.02–5.00) | 26 | 4.70 (1.67–13.22)‡ |
Perceived smoking as cause of TB | 34 | 55.9 | 3.63 (1.72–7.66) | 34 | 5.54 (2.26–13.58)‡ |
>2 Health seeking encounters per month | 76 | 13.2 | 0.24 (0.12–0.50) | 72 | 0.15 (0.06–0.36)‡ |
Factors associated with health Service Delay
Variable | n | % Health service delay >4 weeks | Unadjusted odds ratio (95% CI) | n* | Adjusted odds ratio† (95% CI) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Age 18–40, y | 205 | 81.0 | 0.77 (0.25–2.37) | NA | |
Male | 132 | 81.1 | 0.95 (0.49–1.86) | NA | |
Hospitalised | 59 | 86.4 | 1.63 (0.71–3.75) | NA | |
Marital status separated/single | 125 | 82.1 | 1.09 (0.56–2.12) | NA | |
Post primary education level | 92 | 83.5 | 1.40 (0.72–2.73) | NA | |
Single Household person | 24 | 66.7 | 0.41 (0.16–1.03) | 23 | 0.31 (0.11–0.84)‡ |
Daily Alcohol consumption | 38 | 85.7 | 1.44 (0.53–3.97) | NA | |
Subsistence farming | 28 | 89.3 | 2.05 (0.59–7.11) | NA | |
Perceived smoking as cause of TB | 34 | 87.5 | 1.62 (0.20–13.56) | NA | |
>2 Health seeking encounters per month | 76 | 89.5 | 2.48 (1.09–5.65) | 72 | 2.74 (1.10–6.83)‡ |
Medical expenditure on TB related symptoms (>29 US $) | 60 | 88.3 | 2.02 (0.85–4.82) | 60 | 3.88 (1.19–12.62) ‡ |
Hemoptysis at onset | 33 | 93.9 | 4.05 (1.02–15.90) | NA |