Table 2.
Attitude and stigma towards tuberculosis among the general population
| Variables | # | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you think you can get TB (n = 1668) | 756 | 45.3 | |
| Reaction if you were found out that you have TB (N = 1668) | Cope with it | 1076 | 64.5 |
| Fear | 532 | 31.9 | |
| Surprise | 80 | 4.8 | |
| Shame | 55 | 3.3 | |
| Embarrassment | 33 | 2 | |
| Sadness or hopelessness | 78 | 4.7 | |
| Other | 9 | 0.5 | |
| Who would you talk to about your illness if you had TB? (N = 1668) | Doctor/other medical worker | 1380 | 82.7 |
| Spouse | 358 | 21.5 | |
| Parent | 450 | 27 | |
| Children | 169 | 10.1 | |
| Other family member | 428 | 25.7 | |
| Close friend | 276 | 16.5 | |
| No one | 18 | 1.1 | |
| Others | 5 | 0.03 | |
| What would you do if you thought you had symptoms of TB? | Go to public health facility | 1598 | 95.8 |
| Go to private health facility | 233 | 14 | |
| Go to pharmacy | 46 | 2.8 | |
| Go to spiritual/traditional healer | 25 | 1.5 | |
| Pursue other self-treatment options | 4 | 0.2 | |
| Others | 2 | 0.1 | |
| Don’t know | 11 | 0.7 | |
| If you would not go to health facility, what is the reason? (N = 24) | Not sure where to go | 7 | 29.2 |
| Cost | 11 | 45.8 | |
| Transportation related | 2 | 8.3 | |
| Don’t trust health workers | 4 | 16.7 | |
| Would be cured by religion | 1 | 0.1 | |
| If you had symptoms of TB, at what point would you go to the health facility? | Immediately | 1080 | 64.7 |
| In few days | 305 | 18.3 | |
| One to 2 weeks | 172 | 10.3 | |
| After 2 weeks | 93 | 5.6 | |
| I will not go to health facility | 14 | 0.8 | |
| Other | 4 | 0.2 | |
| How expensive do you think TB diagnosis and treatment in this country? | It is free of charge | 782 | 46.9 |
| It is reasonably priced | 187 | 11.2 | |
| It is moderately expensive | 139 | 8.3 | |
| It is very expensive | 142 | 8.5 | |
| Don’t know | 418 | 25.1 | |
| Know people who have/had TB | 815 | 48.9 | |
| Statement closest to your feeling about people with TB | I feel compassion and desire to help | 1142 | 68.5 |
| I feel compassion but tend to stay away from these people | 208 | 12.5 | |
| It is their problem and I don’t want to get TB by trying to help them | 74 | 4.4 | |
| I fear them because they may infect me | 98 | 5.9 | |
| I have no particular feeling | 145 | 8.7 | |
| Other | 1 | 0.1 | |
| How TB patient usually regarded/treated In your community? | Most people reject him/her | 342 | 20.5 |
| Most people are friendly, but they generally try to avoid | 295 | 17.7 | |
| The community mostly supports and helps him/her | 683 | 40.9 | |
| I don’t have the experience | 345 | 20.7 | |
| Others | 3 | 0.2 | |