Tuberculosis Stigma: Assessing Tuberculosis Knowledge, Attitude and Preventive Practices in Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria

CONTEXT: Tuberculosis (TB), though preventable and curable, remains a global health problem, ranked one of the top causes of death worldwide, despite the World Health Organization's strategies. This may be due to the stigma surrounding the disease. AIM: This study assesses TB stigma in light of knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices among individuals in an urban community. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study among 317 residents of Surulere, Lagos, Nigeria, selected by multi-stage sampling. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Data were collected using a pretested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using Epi InfoTM version 7.2.2.6 2018 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, USA). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive variables were summarized as frequencies, and the Chi-square test was used to test the associations. The level of significance was predetermined at P ≤0.05. RESULTS: Most participants were between the age group of 21 and 40 years. Approximately 9 out of every 10 respondents (91.8%) were aware of TB. Overall, only 2.4% of respondents had good knowledge of TB, more than half (59.1%) had positive attitudes toward TB, about one-third (37.1%) had good preventive practices and 22.7% of respondents expressed TB stigma, 63.6% would show no compassion or desire to help people with TB while 64.3% would rather people with TB were never employed. However, good knowledge translated into less stigma (P <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Most participants were aware of TB, although knowledge, attitude, and practice levels were poor. Knowledge was found to reduce TB stigma, reinforcing the need for improved community literacy regrading TB. This has the potential to influence health-seeking behavior and promote better TB prevention, detection, and treatment outcomes.