A Cross-sectional Study on the Magnitude of undernutrition in Tuberculosis Patients in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia

PURPOSE: To estimate the magnitude of undernutrition in tuberculosis (TB) patients and evaluate its association with selected sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A health facility-based cross-sectional design was used. Four hundred and fifty pulmonary TB (PTB) patients were recruited between September 2017 and August 2018. Data were collected by structured questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20. Descriptive statistics was used for the analysis and expression of the data. Regression model was used to determine the association between undernutrition and selected factors. RESULTS: The magnitude of underweight was 51.6%, (95%CI: 47.15–56.2). Binary logistic regression indicated that previous treatment with anti-TB (crude odds ratio, COR=1.68, 95%CI: 1.08–2.63; p<0.023), duration of illness greater than two months (COR=2.11, 95%CI: 1.26–3.55, p<0.005), positive HIV serum status (COR=3.83, 95%CI: 1.63–9.02, p<0.002) and history of resistance to any anti TB drug (COR=2.76, 95%CI: 1.29–5.91, p<0.009) were associated with underweight. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the association of the aforementioned variables with undernutrition indicated that HIV positivity (adjusted odds ratio, AOR=0.26, 95%CI: 0.104–0.65, p<0.004) and resistance to any anti-TB drug (AOR=0.39, 95%CI: 0.173–0.90, p<0.026) were the associated factors. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of TB patients in the Oromia Region were malnourished. Therefore, nutritional counseling and nutritional supplementation are required for the effective treatment of TB patients in the Region.