Table 1. Characteristics of the survey respondents.a.
| Variable | Income level of the countries (World Bank classification) | Total | p* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | Upper middle | Lower middle | Low | |||
| (n = 191) | (n = 263) | (n = 172) | (n = 96) | (n = 723b ) | ||
| Proportional distribution, % | 26.4 | 36.4 | 23.8 | 13.3 | 100.0 | < 0.00001 |
| Age (years), mean ± SD | 48.2 ± 9.9 | 46.3 ± 11.0 | 44.3 ± 10.3 | 42.2 ± 10.2 | 45.8 ± 10.6 | < 0.00001 |
| Age range (years) | < 0.00001 | |||||
| 21-30 | 5 (2.6) | 16 (6.1) | 14 (8.1) | 7 (7.3) | 42 (5.8) | |
| 31-40 | 38 (19.9) | 77 (29.3) | 56 (32.6) | 43 (44.8) | 215b (29.7) | |
| 41-50 | 74 (38.7) | 63 (24.0) | 54 (31.4) | 27 (28.1) | 218 (30.2) | |
| 51-60 | 54 (28.3) | 81 (30.8) | 39 (22.7) | 15 (15.6) | 189 (26.1) | |
| ≥ 61 | 20 (9.4) | 26 (9.8) | 9 (5.1) | 4 (4.1) | 54 (8.2) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
| Highest level of education | < 0.00001 | |||||
| High school | 2 (1.0) | 2 (0.8) | 2 (1.2) | 1 (1.0) | 7 (1.0) | |
| Undergraduate degree | 24 (12.6) | 79 (30.0) | 37 (21.5) | 22 (22.9) | 163b (22.5) | |
| Masters degree | 35 (18.3) | 76 (28.9) | 69 (40.1) | 49 (51.0) | 229 (31.7) | |
| Doctorate | 85 (44.5) | 65 (24.7) | 42 (24.4) | 19 (19.8) | 211 (29.2) | |
| Postgraduate work | 45 (23.6) | 41 (15.6) | 22 (12.8) | 5 (5.2) | 113 (15.6) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
| Experience in tuberculosis | < 0.00001 | |||||
| 1-5 years | 25 (13.1) | 48 (18.3) | 30 (17.4) | 23 (24.0) | 127b (17.6) | |
| 6-9 years | 42 (22.0) | 53 (20.2) | 51 (29.7) | 28 (29.2) | 174 (24.1) | |
| 10-20 years | 83 (43.5) | 75 (28.5) | 62 (36.0) | 32 (33.3) | 252 (34.9) | |
| > 20 years | 41 (21.5) | 87 (33.1) | 29 (16.9) | 13 (13.5) | 170 (23.5) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
| Main employer | < 0.00001 | |||||
| Public health | 94 (49.2) | 163 (62.0) | 82 (47.7) | 51 (53.1) | 391b (54.1) | |
| Academic institution | 54 (28.3) | 44 (16.7) | 30 (17.4) | 15 (15.6) | 143 (19.8) | |
| Other publicly funded institute | 19 (9.9) | 23 (8.7) | 15 (8.7) | 14 (14.6) | 71 (9.8) | |
| Private healthcare facility | 5 (2.6) | 24 (9.1) | 12 (7.0) | 2 (2.1) | 43 (5.9) | |
| Industry | 5 (2.6) | 2 (0.8) | 1 (0.6) | 1 (1.0) | 9 (1.2) | |
| Other private concern | 14 (7.3) | 7 (2.7) | 32 (18.6) | 13 (13.5) | 66 (9.1) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
| Main focus in tuberculosis | < 0.00001 | |||||
| Adult | 78 (40.8) | 128 (48.7) | 42 (24.4) | 22 (22.9) | 271 (37.5) | |
| Pediatric | 30 (15.7) | 3 (1.1) | 20 (11.6) | 4 (4.2) | 57 (7.9) | |
| Adult and pediatric | 83 (43.5) | 129 (49.0) | 107 (62.2) | 69 (71.9) | 388 (53.7) | |
| No answer provided | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.1) | 3 (1.7) | 1 (1.0) | 7 (1.0) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
| Main area of expertise | < 0.00001 | |||||
| Infectious diseases | 58 (30.4) | 57 (21.7) | 35 (20.3) | 32 (33.3) | 183b (25.3) | |
| Pulmonology | 39 (20.4) | 72 (27.4) | 33 (19.2) | 11 (11.5) | 155 (21.4) | |
| General medicine (adult) | 1 (0.5) | 34 (12.9) | 11 (6.4) | 12 (12.5) | 58 (8.0) | |
| Pediatrics | 10 (5.2) | 2 (0.8) | 7 (4.1) | 3 (3.1) | 22 (3.0) | |
| Microbiology | 43 (22.5) | 44 (16.7) | 30 (17.4) | 11 (11.5) | 128 (17.7) | |
| Immunology | 10 (5.2) | 12 (4.6) | 7 (4.1) | 3 (3.1) | 32 (4.4) | |
| Laboratory medicine | 10 (5.2) | 8 (3.0) | 19 (11.0) | 12 (12.5) | 49 (6.8) | |
| Basic science | 4 (2.1) | 9 (3.4) | 5 (2.9) | 0 (0.0) | 18 (2.5) | |
| Other | 16 (8.4) | 25 (9.5) | 25 (14.5) | 12 (12.5) | 78 (10.8) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
| Area of interest in tuberculosis (multiple answers allowed) | 0.0542 | |||||
| Clinical | 126 (66.0) | 184 (70.0) | 93 (54.1) | 54 (56.3) | 458b (63.3) | |
| Laboratory | 89 (46.6) | 133 (50.6) | 84 (48.8) | 45 (46.9) | 351 (48.5) | |
| Research | 105 (55.0) | 146 (55.5) | 98 (57.0) | 71 (74.0) | 420 (58.1) | |
| Policy Maker | 25 (13.1) | 53 (20.2) | 40 (23.3) | 36 (37.5) | 154 (21.3) | |
| Test Producer | 12 (6.3) | 34 (12.9) | 8 (4.7) | 6 (6.3) | 60 (8.3) | |
| Other Industry | 1 (0.5) | 2 (0.8) | 2 (1.2) | 3 (3.1) | 8 (1.1) | |
| Other | 11 (5.8) | 11 (4.2) | 10 (5.8) | 9 (9.4) | 41 (5.7) | |
| Total | 191 (100.0) | 263 (100.0) | 172 (100.0) | 96 (100.0) | 723b (100.0) | |
a
Values expressed as n (%), except where otherwise indicated. bIncludes one respondent working in a country that could not be classified according to the World Bank classification. *ANOVA or chi-square test, with Bonferroni correction.