A Study On The Knowledge, Beliefs And Practices Of Patients Diagnosed With Tuberculosis In Katutura, Khomas Region, Namibia

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis is a preventable and curable disease. In spite of this, globally it is the main

cause of human suffering and death through infection.

The World Health Organization has set the following targets for global tuberculosis

control: a case detection rate of 70%, and treatment success rate of 85%. The Khomas

region has attained only 52% treatment success rate, which is significantly below the

global target.

A better understanding of TB patients’ knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding

tuberculosis is important for the improvement of public health education on tuberculosis.

Therefore, a study was conducted to explore and describe the knowledge, beliefs and

practices of patients diagnosed with TB, in order to provide helpful data for the

improvement of public health education regarding tuberculosis.

An explorative, descriptive, contextual, and qualitative study design was conducted,

using individual in-depth interviews to gather data from 60 tuberculosis patients in

Katutura, of the Khomas region. A quota sampling technique by age was used to select

the participants. Data analysis was done using Tesch’s method for content analysis.

The results showed a significantly poor depth of knowledge among patients diagnosed

with tuberculosis about the disease itself. Patients possess erroneous beliefs about modes

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of transmission, and they practice unhealthy lifestyles while on treatment. Ineffective

health education had contributed to the poor knowledge of patients. Some basic facts

overlooked by the national tuberculosis guideline developers are also a contributing

factor.

Recommendations based on this study’s findings include: the revision of the current

national guidelines for the management of tuberculosis, to include some important facts

overlooked by the guidelines developers; the design of culturally-appropriate messages to

be integrated with the existing beliefs and misconceptions and provided to the community

in the form of leaflets; and an emphasis of the importance of patient charters among

health workers.

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