Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in Myanmar. Early care-seeking behaviors play a significant role in reducing TB transmission and speeding recovery. This study was conducted to estimate the proportion of patients with TB who delayed care-seeking and to identify...

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Main Authors: May Chan Oo, Kyaw Zarni Tun, Kyaw Ko Ko, Pyae Linn Aung
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries 2020-06-01
Series:Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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Online Access:https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/12663
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author May Chan Oo
Kyaw Zarni Tun
Kyaw Ko Ko
Pyae Linn Aung
author_facet May Chan Oo
Kyaw Zarni Tun
Kyaw Ko Ko
Pyae Linn Aung
author_sort May Chan Oo
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in Myanmar. Early care-seeking behaviors play a significant role in reducing TB transmission and speeding recovery. This study was conducted to estimate the proportion of patients with TB who delayed care-seeking and to identify underlying factors. Methodology: The study population included patients with TB treated in a TB diagnostic center in April 2015. A total of 346 patients were chosen as eligible respondents. The data were collected using structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. In addition to descriptive statistics, chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression were performed to show any associations. Results: The study revealed that 66.8% of patients delayed care-seeking, and the average duration of delay was 21 days. Using the chi-squared test, factors such as education, occupation, family income, knowledge of TB, possessing information about TB, having a family member or close friend contract TB, travel distance, and cost causing a burden were significantly associated with delayed care-seeking (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis found that 4 variables exhibited significant associations: low levels of education, occupation as government staff member, possessing information about TB, and having a family member or close friend contract TB (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results from this study provide useful comprehensive information addressing underlying factors associated with delayed care-seeking behaviors. These can be used to advance health education interventions regarding TB and strengthen early diagnosis of TB within community settings.
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publisher The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
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spelling doaj-art-8700da0adba84fdd93f29913caf10cfe2025-08-20T03:52:42ZengThe Journal of Infection in Developing CountriesJournal of Infection in Developing Countries1972-26802020-06-01140610.3855/jidc.12663Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, MyanmarMay Chan Oo0Kyaw Zarni Tun1Kyaw Ko Ko2Pyae Linn Aung3Public Health Office, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, ThailandPublic Health Office, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, ThailandPublic Health Office, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, ThailandPublic Health Office, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in Myanmar. Early care-seeking behaviors play a significant role in reducing TB transmission and speeding recovery. This study was conducted to estimate the proportion of patients with TB who delayed care-seeking and to identify underlying factors. Methodology: The study population included patients with TB treated in a TB diagnostic center in April 2015. A total of 346 patients were chosen as eligible respondents. The data were collected using structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews. In addition to descriptive statistics, chi-squared test and multiple logistic regression were performed to show any associations. Results: The study revealed that 66.8% of patients delayed care-seeking, and the average duration of delay was 21 days. Using the chi-squared test, factors such as education, occupation, family income, knowledge of TB, possessing information about TB, having a family member or close friend contract TB, travel distance, and cost causing a burden were significantly associated with delayed care-seeking (p < 0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis found that 4 variables exhibited significant associations: low levels of education, occupation as government staff member, possessing information about TB, and having a family member or close friend contract TB (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results from this study provide useful comprehensive information addressing underlying factors associated with delayed care-seeking behaviors. These can be used to advance health education interventions regarding TB and strengthen early diagnosis of TB within community settings. https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/12663Tuberculosispatientsdelayedcare-seekingunderlying factorsMyanmar
spellingShingle May Chan Oo
Kyaw Zarni Tun
Kyaw Ko Ko
Pyae Linn Aung
Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar
Journal of Infection in Developing Countries
Tuberculosis
patients
delayed
care-seeking
underlying factors
Myanmar
title Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar
title_full Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar
title_fullStr Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar
title_full_unstemmed Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar
title_short Delayed care-seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in Yangon, Myanmar
title_sort delayed care seeking and its underlying factors among patients with tuberculosis in yangon myanmar
topic Tuberculosis
patients
delayed
care-seeking
underlying factors
Myanmar
url https://jidc.org/index.php/journal/article/view/12663
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AT kyawzarnitun delayedcareseekinganditsunderlyingfactorsamongpatientswithtuberculosisinyangonmyanmar
AT kyawkoko delayedcareseekinganditsunderlyingfactorsamongpatientswithtuberculosisinyangonmyanmar
AT pyaelinnaung delayedcareseekinganditsunderlyingfactorsamongpatientswithtuberculosisinyangonmyanmar