The necessity for enhancing awareness of tuberculosis starting from the early college semesters: empirical evidence from a cross-sectional research

Xinyi Chen; Ying Peng; Lin Zhou; Fei Wang; Bin Chen; Yan Qu

doi:10.3389/fpubh.2023.1272494

The necessity for enhancing awareness of tuberculosis starting from the early college semesters: empirical evidence from a cross-sectional research

Front Public Health. 2023 Oct 26:11:1272494. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1272494. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Xinyi Chen¹, Ying Peng¹, Lin Zhou¹, Fei Wang¹, Bin Chen¹, Yan Qu²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Zhejiang Provincial Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China.
² National Centre for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Background: College students, especially those in the lower grades, constitute the main high-risk population for tuberculosis (TB). Insufficient knowledge about TB among college students contributes to an increased risk of TB infection. In Zhejiang Province, China, limited research has been conducted recently on the awareness of TB in schools among college students. Therefore, this study aims to gain insight into TB knowledge among low-grade college students in Zhejiang Province and develop effective strategies for TB education targeted at this specific population.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between 1^st and 20^th May 2022 in 20 colleges in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China. The survey aimed to assess the level of TB awareness among 1^st and 2^nd-year college students. Chi-square tests were performed to compare the rates, while multivariate logistic regression was used to identify the factors influencing the overall awareness level of students' regarding key knowledge about TB.

Results: A total of 4,414 lower-grade students participated in the study. The total awareness rate and entire awareness rate of key TB knowledge were 81.6 and 25.3%, respectively. Participants who demonstrated a relatively poor understanding of the definition were (51.0%), curable outcomes (75.7%), and preventive measures of TB (76.1%). Female participants [adjusted odds ratio (aOR):1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.25-1.65], medical students (aOR:2.00; 95%CI:1.63-2.64), had a high level of monthly expenditures (aOR:2.50; 95%CI:1.49-4.19), had prior TB health education (aOR:1.95; 95%CI:1.68-2.25) and previous exposure to TB patients (aOR:2.13; 95% CI:1.48-3.08) indicating a better level of awareness of key knowledge about TB. Among the students, 58.5% expressed their willingness to acquire TB knowledge through "broadcasting, television, films, and audiovisual materials."

Conclusions: The total awareness rate of key knowledge among low-grade college students in Zhejiang did not meet the national requirements. To effectively prevent TB in schools, it is crucial to develop a comprehensive understanding of the disease among college students. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance TB awareness through theoretical and practical education, starting from the early semesters of college.

Keywords: awareness rate; health promotion and education; lower-grade students; questionnaire survey; tuberculosis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Risk Factors
Students, Medical*
Tuberculosis* / epidemiology
Tuberculosis* / prevention & control
Universities

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the program of university volunteers' TB prevention and control advocacy in promoting patient finding, the Health Commission of Zhejiang Province [2023KY642], and the National-Zhejiang Health Commission Major S&T Project [WKJ-ZJ-2118].