Abstract
BACKGROUND: TB remains a significant problem in the UK with the West Midlands having the highest incidence after London. Treatment is usually for a minimum of 6 months and requires a high level of compliance. We investigated potential determinants of delays and completion of treatment for tuberculosis (TB) in the West Midlands, UK.
METHODS: We used data on 4840 patients with TB in the West Midlands from the Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance database from 1 January 2005 to 1 October 2010. We used regression models to investigate the cross-sectional association between sociodemographic and clinical risk factors and the timeliness and completion of TB treatment.
RESULTS: Patients with TB waited 82 days on average from symptom onset to treatment initiation. Female patients spent 6% longer time than males before receiving treatment [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-11.6%, P = 0.015]. Asian/Asian British patients were 11 times more likely to complete treatment than White patients (adjusted odds ratio: 11.4, 95% CI: 1.31-100.3, P = 0.028).
CONCLUSIONS: Females in the West Midlands took longer time to receive TB treatment than males, representing a health inequality that could be addressed through gender-sensitive awareness raising programmes. White patients were less likely to complete treatment than Asian/Asian British patients; additional support is needed in this group.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 12-20 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Public Health |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Mar 2013 |
Keywords
- Adolescent
- Adult
- Aged
- Aged, 80 and over
- Antitubercular Agents
- Asian Continental Ancestry Group
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Cross-Sectional Studies
- England
- European Continental Ancestry Group
- Female
- Health Planning Guidelines
- Health Services Accessibility
- Humans
- Infant
- Infant, Newborn
- Male
- Medication Adherence
- Middle Aged
- Risk Factors
- Sex Factors
- Socioeconomic Factors
- Time Factors
- Tuberculosis
- Tuberculosis, Pulmonary
- Young Adult
- Journal Article