A Communication-Based Intervention Study for Reducing Stigma and Discrimination against Tuberculosis among Thai High-School Students

Abstract

The current study aims to explore the effectiveness of communication-based intervention on the reduction in TB stigma and discrimination among high-school students in Bangkok, Thailand, during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study is quasi-experimental in nature and is conducted in two high schools (n = 216 students). The study adopts purposive and systematic sampling techniques to select schools and students. The experimental group received a communication program for three months, whereas the control group received no intervention. The study uses generalized estimating equations to assess the overall program between the experimental and control groups at baseline, intervention, and follow-up periods. The outcomes reveal that the communication program effectively reduced TB stigma (p-value < 0.05, CI = 4.962, -1.723) and increased knowledge about TB (p-value < 0.05, CI = 1.825, 2.537), attitudes toward TB (p-value < 0.05, CI = 4.493, 6.280), and self-efficacy on TB stigma and discrimination (p-value < 0.05, CI = 7.133, 9.483) compared with the control group. However, the study finds no significant within- and between-group differences in TB discrimination (p-value > 0.05, CI = -1.398, 0.810). This study is applicable as a supplement for knowledge and attitudes about TB and to the reduction in TB stigma in schools.