Community Knowledge and Attitudes towards Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Kirkuk

Ali Khalaf, Mohammed; Sabir Mohammed, Dilshad; Mustafa, Mohammad

	Community Knowledge and Attitudes towards Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Kirkuk
Kerbala Journal of Medicine
Article 1, Volume 9, Issue 1, 2016, Pages 2351-2356 PDF (0 K)
Authors
Mohammed Ali Khalaf; Dilshad Sabir Mohammed; Mohammad Mustafa
Abstract
background: Tuberculosis is one of the primary public health problems in developing countries. Knowledge about the disease has been known to increase the risk of spreading the bacteria and the risk of developing the disease. Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the level of Tuberculosis knowledge, attitudes among population in Kirkuk city. Subjects and Method: A community based cross-sectional study using structured questionnaire, 400 respondents were asked questions regarding cause, symptoms, method of transmission of pulmonary TB and their attitude to person infected with pulmonary Tuberculosis. Results: Most of respondents had heard of pulmonary Tuberculosis with males having better (though not significant) knowledge than females. Although attitude toward TB did not influence caring for sick relatives or friends, it impeded social interactions and marriage prospects with infected persons within the community Conclusion: Knowledge and attitude toward pulmonary Tuberculosis was generally good in this community. Efforts should be intensified by health authorities in the local government to raise awareness and knowledge of the disease, so as to improve social perception and early recognition of infection.
Keywords
Knowledge; Attitude; pulmonary tuberculosis; Kirkuk city

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