Low tuberculosis knowledge among HIV-infected patients in a high HIV prevalence region within southeast India

Abstract

Setting: A private multispecialty hospital in Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Methods: A survey of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions adapted from a pretested questionnaire was administered to 128 HIV-infected adults, fromJuly to August 2008. Results: A total of 31% had not heard of tuberculosis (TB), with 15 (38%) currently receiving anti-TB therapy or had received it in the past. Of those familiar with TB, 70% could not list a method by which it was spread. Low education attainment, female sex, and less frequent television exposurewere associatedwith lowTBliteracy.Conclusions:HIV-infected patients in southeast India havepoor knowledge of TB and the methods by which it is spread. Scale-up of patient-directed educational programs is necessary to help control TB in India. © 2012 The Author(s).