Abstract:
ABSTRACT
Background: Tuberculosis is one of the most common opportunistic infections and a major cause of morbidity and mortality among HIV/AIDs patients. Accordingly, several stakeholders have taken initiatives including TB screening among people living with HIV/AIDs in order to reduce TB related mortality among this group. However, there is scarcity of data on the factors that may influence the TB screening iniative especially in Mpimbwe district.
Objectives: The main aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with TB Screening among People living with HIV in Mpimbwe District.
Methods: This was a cross sectional descriptive study which involved 400 CTC clients and 50 health providers who were randomly selected from the five selected Care and Treatment Clinics (CTCs) available in Mpimbwe District Council. Data were collected using close-ended questionnaires. Data were entered, cleaned and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe factors associated with TB screening. Chi-square test was computed and p-value of less than equal or less than 0.05 was used to show significant association between dependent and independent variables.
Results: The percentage of CTC clients living with HIV screened for TB was 39.8% (159 out of 400). Majority were males (p= 0.005) aged 30 years and above, (mean age 33.6+/- 9.4 SD, p= 0.001). Other factors that were significantly associated with TB screening included level of education (p= 0.001), ashamed to safer from Tuberculosis while having HIV infection (P= 0.001), clients’ perception on TB and screening (p= 0.001) and clients’ knowledge about TB symptoms and transmission (p= 0.001) and healthcare provider attendending on job training on TB infection and TB Screeing (p= 0.002), distance to the health facility (p= 0.001), waiting time at the facility (p= 0.005), and healthcare provider attendending on job training on TB infection and TB Screeing (p= 0.002).
Conclusion: The low proportion of TB screening among PLWH (39.8%) at Mpimbwe district is associated with several individual factors including sex, age and education. Despite the fact that the majority of PLWH and Health care providers were aware on TB and HIV co-infection, efforts to increase coverage of TB Screening should focus on raising the awareness and knowledge to the CTC clients and health care providers about TB screening.
