CHAPTER III - ILLNESS PERCEPTION & UTILIZATION OF HEALTH FACILITIES <<Back
 
a) Community Survey Based
 
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AU : Marinac JS, Willsie SK, McBride D & Hamburger SC
TI : Knowledge of tuberculosis in high-risk populations:survey of inner city minorities
SO : INT J TB & LUNG DIS 1998, 2, 804-10.
DT : Per
AB :

Educational programs targeted toward individuals at risk for TB are needed. As an initial step in developing future programs, the present study was designed to determine the baseline knowledge about TB in at-risk individuals.

Face-to-face surveys were conducted with 505 minority subjects in the Kansas City Metropolitan area; health care providers were excluded. Thirty six queries directed toward self-perceived and actual TB knowledge were asked. Data was tabulated and per cent correct response was determined.

Completed surveys were available from 505 subjects: 342 females and 163 males. Most (97%) of the subjects were African Americans, with 57% between the ages of 21-40. Over two-thirds were high school graduates, and 77% reported an estimated total household annual income of <$20000. Self-perceived knowledge about TB was rated as 'little' or 'nothing' by 60% of respondents. The overall correct response score was 61%, with 55% correct response to queries related to etiology, 53% for identification of high-risk populations, 57% for possible routes of transmission, 89% for symptoms, and 49% for treatment. Males, those with annual incomes >$20000, and individuals 51-70 years old had the highest scores.

In this high-risk inner-city population surveyed, knowledge deficits in the etiology, transmission, and treatment of TB were identified.

KEY WORDS: SOCIAL AWARENESS; USA.
 
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