Public awareness of tuberculosis in southeast China: A population-based study

Abstract

Few provinces in China have recently conducted population-based surveys on tuberculosis (TB) awareness at the provincial level. Hence, we conducted a population-based, cross-sectional study to evaluate the level of awareness of TB knowledge among residents of Zhejiang Province, China from October 2018 to December 2018. A total of 7174 individuals were randomly selected to participate in this survey. The rate of awareness of key information on TB was found to be 48.0%. The study’s participants exhibited a good understanding of the transmission route (80.8%), curable outcome (78.3%), and designated treatment sites (67.0%) of TB. The rate of awareness of suspicious TB symptoms (36.1%) and the relief policy on diagnosis and first-line therapeutic drugs (38.0%) were found to be relatively low among the respondents. People living in rural areas, those who were less educated, and students all showed a low level of awareness of key knowledge about TB. In conclusion, residents in Zhejiang Province generally lacked key information about TB, which is not conducive to the early detection and treatment of TB. Corresponding efforts should be made for different groups of people to achieve favorable effects on the prevention and control of TB. 1Secondary school: years 13–15;2 High school: years 16–18;3 Medical insurance A: a medical insurance system to compensate urban personnel for economic losses caused by disease risk. The reimbursement level is relatively high in China;4 Medical insurance B (including The New Rural Cooperative Medical Insurance, NCMS): a medical insurance system that takes urban and rural residents who do not take part in the medical insurance scheme for urban personnel as the main objects of insurance. The reimbursement level is relatively low.