Abstract:

Objective: To investigate the awareness of core knowledge of tuberculosis prevention and control among residents in Shanxi, and provide scientific basis for strengthening health promotion and health education on tuberculosis control. Methods: From January to March 2021, a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method was applied to select 12 survey sites from each of the 11 cities in Shanxi. At least 100 participants were included in each survey site, resulting in a total of 132 survey sites (44 urban sites and 88 rural sites) and 13426 participants. A household survey was conducted using questionnaires to assess the participants’ awareness of core knowledge of tuberculosis prevention and control and the health education. A total of 13426 questionnaires were distributed, and 13426 valid questionnaires were collected with a response rate of 100.00%. Descriptive analysis and Chi-square tests were used to analyze the awareness of core knowledge of tuberculosis prevention and control. Results: The general awareness rate of all 5 key messages was 80.05% (53735/67130). The awareness rates of the five tuberculosis key messages were 71.80% (9640/13426), 88.99% (11948/13426), 89.65% (12037/13426), 80.73% (10839/13426), and 69.05% (9271/13426), respectively, which include “tuberculosis is a serious chronic infectious disease”, “tuberculosis is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract”, “the suspicious symptoms of tuberculosis are cough and/or coughing with sputum for more than 2 weeks”, “the preventive measures of tuberculosis are mainly not spitting, covering the mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and wearing masks” and “the majority of pulmonary tuberculosis can be cured”. Among them, the total awareness rates of male participants, urban population, participants with younger age (15-19 years old), participants with a bachelor’s degree or above and participants from government institutions (80.30% (26091/32465), 82.30% (19020/23110), 84.43% (1372/1625), 84.18% (3405/4045) and 85.69% (3916/4570), respectively) were higher than those of female participants, rural population, aged 80 and above, illiterate or semiliterate population groups, and unemployed or self-employed individuals (79.75% (27644/34665), 78.86% (34712/44020), 69.45% (955/1375), 70.03% (2493/3560) and 77.68% (10269/13220), respectively). These differences were statistically significant (χ²=4.040, P=0.044; χ²=112.711, P<0.001; χ²=330.252, P<0.001; χ²=514.584, P<0.001; χ²=272.377, P<0.001, respectively). Furthermore, 78.69% (10565/13426) of the public population had received health education of tuberculosis. “Television” (55.88%, 5904/10565), “bulletin/wall newspapers/blackboard newspapers” (39.77%, 4202/10565), and “leaflets/folded pages/posters” (38.97%, 4117/10565) were the most common ways for receiving health education. “Radio/television/film/audiovisual materials” (62.75%, 8423/13423) remained the most popular way for the public population to acquire health knowledge. Conclusion: In recent years, the awareness of core knowledge of tuberculosis prevention and control among residents in Shanxi has increased significantly. However, it has not yet reached the national planning goals. Health education on tuberculosis control knowledge should be strengthened, especially for the populations with rural area, lower education, older ages, and unemployed or self-employed individuals.

Key words: Tuberculosis, Health knowledge, attitudes, practice, Questionnaires survey, Shanxi Province