Willingness to seek medical care for tuberculosis and associated factors among the elderly population in Shenzhen: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to assess the willingness of elderly people to seek medical care for tuberculosis (TB) and the associated influencing factors. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A multistage random survey was conducted in Bao’an District of Shenzhen in China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 1200 elderly people aged 65 or above were recruited for the study and completed a structured questionnaire between September and October 2019. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Descriptive and binary logistic stepwise regression analyses were conducted to analyse the characteristics of elderly individuals, their willingness to seek medical care for TB and associated factors. RESULTS: Among the final 1123 respondents, 943 (84.0%) were willing to seek medical care if they discovered suspicious TB symptoms. Binary logistic stepwise regression analysis indicated that respondents whose family annual income per capita was 50 000–100 000¥ (OR=2.56, 95% CI: 1.44 to 4.54, p<0.01) and who had positive attitudes (≥3 scores: OR=3.10, 95% CI: 1.90 to 5.05, p<0.01) or practices (≥4 scores: OR=3.13, 95% CI: 1.82 to 5.39, p<0.01) towards TB were more willing to seek medical care for TB. CONCLUSIONS: Willingness to seek medical care for TB in the elderly population can be improved according to the determinants.