SOCIOLOGY <<Back
 
 
068
PREVALENCE OF CHEST SYMPTOMS AND ACTION TAKEN BY SYMPTOMATICS IN A RURAL COMMUNITY
Radha Narayan, Susy Thomas, S Pramila Kumari, S Prabhakar, AN Ramaprakash, T Suresh & N Srikantaramu: Indian J TB 1976, 23, 160-68.

A study was conducted in 55 randomly selected villages of Nelamangala taluk, Bangalore district in 1975 (1) to estimate the prevalence of symptoms in the general population during the two months prior to the epidemiological survey, (2) to study the nature of action taken by these symptomatics and, (3) to find out through sputum examination as to how many of them suffer from pulmonary tuberculosis. The entire population was interviewed and sputum was collected from those aged five years and above having symptoms continuously for seven days and more. A coverage of 98.8% was obtained. Symptomatics among the directly interviewed were almost double (32.3%) of those who had to be interviewed by proxy (16.8%). Proportion of symptomatics were higher in the age groups twenty years and above. 24.8% were symptomatic during the reference period of two months and 16.7% had symptoms on the day of interview. ll.1% were found to have chest symptoms. The prevalence rate of tuberculosis was found to be 21 per 1000, (for males 28 and females 14). Cough was the most prevalent and the symptom of longest duration.

The findings suggest that symptoms questioning should focus more on cough and its combination with other symptoms. Symptoms questioning as a tool to detect cases has less potential than X-ray, but data reveal that leading questions can elicit more information on symptoms and action taking. The manner of action taking was the same for chest symptoms as for other symptoms and the proportion taking action is also the same for males and females. Government health facilities are found to be the most important source of relief, indigenous medicine having some importance marked second and the private practitioners ranking only third.

KEY WORDS: SYMPTOMS, ACTION TAKING, RURAL POPULATION.

070
A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF AWARENESS OF SYMPTOMS AND ACTION TAKING OF PERSONS WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS (A RESURVEY)
Radha Narayan, S Prabhakar, Susy Thomas, S Pramila Kumari, T Suresh & N Srikantaramu: Indian J TB 1979, 26, 136-46.

A study on awareness of symptoms of pulmonary tuberculosis and action taking was repeated in the 62 villages and 4 town blocks of Tumkur district of Karnataka after an interval of 12 years. In the earlier study, 2106 persons formed the study population. In the present study, 1752 were intaken to obtain a comparison of these 1752 intaken persons who were eligible for interview, 875 were X-ray positive and 877 X-ray normal (matched control).

The study showed that 95% of patients having radiologically active tuberculosis by both X-ray readers, 70% by one reader, 49.5% inactive by both readers, were aware of symptoms. According to the bacteriological status 79.5% had symptoms among those who were sputum positive by both microscopy and culture, 62.2% among those positive by culture alone and 73.7% among patients sputum positive by any method. Regarding action taking it was observed that 49.5% of the bacteriologically positive patients took some action compared by 70% of those found to have radiologically active disease by both X-ray readers. Thus action taking was higher among the latter category in both the studies. It may be due to the fact that extent of lesions are less advanced among those bacteriologically positive than among those who were in radiologically positive stage.

The findings of the study are similar to the earlier awareness study carried out in 1963 in the same area (Tumkur). This also indicates that in spite of having advantage of DTP for a decade actual and total benefits have not reached the people.

KEY WORDS: SOCIAL AWARENESS, ACTION TAKING, SYMPTOMS, RURAL POPULATION, URBAN POPULATION, INTERVIEW, CONTROL PROGRAMME.

071
SYMPTOM AWARENESS AND ACTION TAKING OF PERSONS WITH PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES SURVEYED REPEATEDLY TO DETERMINE THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF THE DISEASE
Radha Narayan & N Srikantaramu: Indian J TB 1981, 28, 125-30.

A longitudinal epidemiologic survey was carried out in Nelamangala taluk of Bangalore district since 1961, to find out prevalence of infection and disease of tuberculosis. During V round of the survey 1977, after 16 years of the first round, it was planned to study the awareness of symptoms and action taking of persons in the community where repeated surveys consisting of tuberculin, X-ray and sputum examinations had been carried out since 1961 and facilities for diagnosis and treatment were available since 1974. Fifty one persons aged 20 years and above, referred as X-ray positives were interviewed by social investigators on a structured questionnaire to elicit the awareness of symptoms and details of action taken to seek relief.

Of the 51 satisfactorily interviewed, 41 (80.4%) had symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis, of the 20 bacteriologically positive cases 19 (95%) were aware of symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis, thus registering a higher percentage of awareness than the X-ray positives. Of those with symptoms, 58.8% sought relief, many of them at multiple agencies such as Govt. hospitals and private practitioners, and some at tuberculosis hospitals, on being referred there. Most had obtained services free of cost and appreciated the available intrinsic benefits. Prior personal or family associations were the main reasons for seeking the services of private practitioners. Only 23% had gone to the nearest health facilities. Lack of proper facilities for good treatment and preference to be treated at urban centres, were the main reasons for not availing of the services at the nearest health facilities.

KEY WORDS: RURAL POPULATION, SYMPTOM AWARENESS, FELT NEED, ACTION TAKING.
 

 
  OPERATIONS RESEARCH  
 
B : Programme Development
 
097
LONG TERM SOCIOLOGICAL FOLLOW UP OF SYMPTOM RECURRENCE AND ACTION TAKEN BY TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS
Radha Narayan: Indian J Prev & Soc Med 1978, 9, 85-91.

Case-finding and treatment activities in the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) are mainly dependent on self reporting chest symptomatics. It was of main interest to find out that patients who report to the health institutions due to suffering remain symptom free later on or there is a recurrence of symptoms among sputum positive patients during 14 intervening years i.e., from 1961-1974. The follow up was carried out in 1974, in spite of such a long interval, information from 20.3% of the patients including dead was collected.

At the time of diagnosis in 1961 at LWC, 91.6% of patients had symptoms. During the total period from 1961 to the time of interview 7-16% had recurrence during each of the intervening years. Recall was possible because majority of them have taken action. But at the time of interview 29.7% reported to be having symptoms, of them nearly half had symptoms for more than 6 months. It is likely that during preceding years also there might have been a higher percentage of symptoms but the recall was poor. Considering the total duration of symptoms, 52% had experienced symptoms for more than 6 months.

KEY WORDS: SYMPTOMS, RECALL, CONTROL PROGRAMME, FELT NEED, ACTION TAKING.
 
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