Knowledge and Healthcare Seeking Behavior among Tuberculosis Patients Attending Some Selected Tuberculosis Centers in Mogadishu, Somalia

Abstract

Introduction: Tuberculosis is a disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis germs. The bacteria are most commonly found in the lungs but can also harm other sections of the body. Worldwide about 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) in 2020 (including 214 000 people with HIV). TB is the 13th leading cause of death worldwide and the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 (above HIV/AIDS). This study aims to determine TB patients' knowledge and healthcare-seeking behavior attending Mogadishu- Somalia, in some selected TB centers. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among tuberculosis patients in five TB management units in Mogadishu, Somalia. The data collection tools used to collect data were close-ended self-administrated questionaries from May to June 2022. The target population of this study was TB patients registered and taking treatment during data collection. The sample size of this study was 384 respondents. We used logistic regression analysis to identify the factors associated with knowledge about TB and healthcare-seeking behavior among TB patients. Results: The study found that the mean score for all knowledge of tuberculosis was 22.7. 209 (54.4%) of the 384 TB patients had good knowledge of the disease, compared to 175 (45.6%) who had poor knowledge. The average score for TB patients' healthcare-seeking behavior was 6.67. 200(52.1%) of the 384 respondents reported good healthcare-seeking behavior about TB, compared to 184 (47.9%) of the respondents who had bad healthcare-seeking behavior Conclusion: TB patients had good knowledge of the signs and symptoms of TB, the transmission of TB, treatment of TB, and healthcare-seeking behavior of TB, but their knowledge of the cause of TB and the method of prevention of TB was not adequate. This study also revealed that the healthcare-seeking behavior of TB patients was good.