Persons suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis generally experience symptoms such as cough, chest pain, fever and haemoptysis. It is possible to identify the symptomatics by interviewing them during community health surveys. The symptom survey was carried out in 62 villages and 4 town blocks of Tumkur district in Karnataka as a sequel to an epidemiological survey undertaken to estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis. The data was collected through structured schedule. The interviewers were given the identification details of individuals having X-ray shadows suggestive of tuberculosis and an equal number of matched controls within 4 weeks of the survey. A total of 1752 persons were taken into the study of whom 875 had x ray shadows and 877 were normals. Of the total persons under study 89.7% were satisfactorily interviewed. It was observed that 42.6% of the total symptomatics gave history of one symptom at the first general question, 13% responded having symptoms after being asked specific questions. In conclusion a 42.6% affirmative response to the initial question of 'How is your health' is noteworthy that an investigator is acceptable health agency as the interviewee is willing to confide in him regarding his health problems. Additional number of persons responded to direct specific questions.

It must be pointed out that interview is a generic term applied to a tool that may be used for obtaining information through verbal communication. As a tool in surveys for screening for tuberculosis it is amenable to divese techniques and has great potentialities of being applied to different situations and various categories of respondents. Hence, it is necessary to identify the nature of data to be obtained and to decide on the technique that would be most suitable. Proper training, skill and supervision of the interviewer can obviate any possible bias and subjectivity that could vitiate an interview. As compared to many of the tools of social science research, the interview is simple, easy and amenable to being used in live situations. It is also of prime importance among populations for whom vocalisation is the most important medium of communication. Hence, in a community survey for the estimation of the prevalence of chest symptomatics the interview can be a valuable tool. It also shows that the interview is adequate as a tool of community survey in tuberculosis.