PERCEPTION OF THE PREVALENCE, CAUSES, TRANSMISSION, SIGN AND SYMPTOMS, PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS AMONG RESIDENTS OF IFE EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ILE-IFE, OSUN-STATE. NIGERIA.
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a critical global public health concern, with effective control heavily dependent on robust community knowledge. This study aimed to assess the knowledge levels of residents in Ife East Local Government Area (LGA), Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria, across various aspects of Mycobacterium tuberculosis disease.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted involving 200 randomly selected adult respondents. The participant pool was mature, with the majority aged 54–62 years (40.5%), primarily married (59.5%), and engaged as traders (48.5%). Educationally, 45.5% had attained a secondary school education.
General knowledge of TB demonstrated significant variance across demographics. The 54–62 years age group (17.5%) and married respondents (29.5%) exhibited the highest knowledge prevalence. While 50.0% correctly identified a bacterium as the causative agent, widespread misconceptions persisted, with 48.0% believing cold air and 48.5% believing punishment of God were causes. Understanding of transmission was mixed: a high percentage (68.0%) correctly identified living with a TB patient as a high-risk mode, yet 59.5% incorrectly believed the disease was hereditary. Respondents showed a fair understanding of clinical presentation, with coughing duration ≥2 weeks (57.0%) and weight loss (58.5%) well-recognized as symptoms. Regarding treatment, 51.0% believed TB is curable; however, nearly equal proportions cited non-biomedical methods, with 47.5% citing praying and fasting and 49.5% citing traditional medicines. Alarmingly, only 10.0% of respondents knew the approximate cost of TB treatment.
The study concludes that residents of Ife East LGA possess fragmented knowledge, showing adequate awareness of core symptoms but harboring critical gaps and misconceptions regarding the definitive cause, hereditary transmission, and reliance on non-biomedical treatment. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted, culturally-sensitive health education campaigns that address community-specific myths to bolster local TB control efforts.
Keywords: Perception, Prevalence, Causes, Transmission, Sign and Symptoms, Prevention, Treatment Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Residents Ife East Local Government Area.
