BACKGROUND: Delay in presentation to a health facility is an important concern for tuberculosis (TB) control. The effect of stigma on delay in seeking care for TB symptoms is not well studied, especially in the context of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-epidemic. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association of TB and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) stigma on delay in seeking care for TB symptoms. METHODS: For 480 newly diagnosed patients with TB, time from first TB symptom to the first visit to a qualified provider was calculated. Stigma scales were administered to each patient to obtain a stigma score. RESULTS: Among men, those with higher TB stigma had a small increase in delay times, while women had a small decrease in delay. Among patients presenting with hemoptysis, higher TB stigma was associated with a small increase in delay, while among patients presenting with fever or extra-pulmonary symptoms only, higher TB and AIDS stigma resulted in shorter delay times. CONCLUSION: In a population with a relatively short median delay (26 days), the impact of TB and AIDS stigma translates into a minimal change in delay time. This suggests that stigma does not have a clinically relevant effect on TB patient delay in southern Thailand.
BACKGROUND: Delay in presentation to a health facility is an important concern for tuberculosis (TB) control. The effect of stigma on delay in seeking care for TB symptoms is not well studied, especially in the context of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-epidemic. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the association of TB and acquired immune-deficiency syndrome (AIDS) stigma on delay in seeking care for TB symptoms. METHODS: For 480 newly diagnosed patients with TB, time from first TB symptom to the first visit to a qualified provider was calculated. Stigma scales were administered to each patient to obtain a stigma score. RESULTS: Among men, those with higher TB stigma had a small increase in delay times, while women had a small decrease in delay. Among patients presenting with hemoptysis, higher TB stigma was associated with a small increase in delay, while among patients presenting with fever or extra-pulmonary symptoms only, higher TB and AIDS stigma resulted in shorter delay times. CONCLUSION: In a population with a relatively short median delay (26 days), the impact of TB and AIDS stigma translates into a minimal change in delay time. This suggests that stigma does not have a clinically relevant effect on TB patient delay in southern Thailand.
Authors: Carla Valenzuela; Cesar Ugarte-Gil; Jorge Paz; Juan Echevarria; Eduardo Gotuzzo; Sten H Vermund; Aaron M Kipp Journal: AIDS Behav Date: 2015-02
Authors: C Rocha; R Montoya; K Zevallos; A Curatola; W Ynga; J Franco; F Fernandez; N Becerra; M Sabaduche; M A Tovar; E Ramos; A Tapley; N R Allen; D A Onifade; C D Acosta; M Maritz; D F Concha; S G Schumacher; C A Evans Journal: Int J Tuberc Lung Dis Date: 2011-06 Impact factor: 2.373
Authors: Kee Chee Cheong; Sumarni Mohd Ghazali; Ahmed Syahmi Syafiq Md Zamri; Yoon Ling Cheong; Nuur Hafizah Md Iderus; Tharmarajah Nagalingam; Qistina Ruslan; Mohd Azahadi Omar; Ahmad Faudzi Yusoff Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-05-21 Impact factor: 4.614
Authors: Stephanie M Topp; Michelle S Li; Julien M Chipukuma; Matimba M Chiko; Evelyn Matongo; Carolyn Bolton-Moore; Stewart E Reid Journal: J Int AIDS Soc Date: 2012-09-24 Impact factor: 5.396
Authors: Aaron M Kipp; Petchawan Pungrassami; Kittikorn Nilmanat; Sohini Sengupta; Charles Poole; Ronald P Strauss; Virasakdi Chongsuvivatwong; Annelies Van Rie Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2011-08-30 Impact factor: 3.295
Authors: Wei-Teng Yang; Celine R Gounder; Tokunbo Akande; Jan-Walter De Neve; Katherine N McIntire; Aditya Chandrasekhar; Alan de Lima Pereira; Naveen Gummadi; Santanu Samanta; Amita Gupta Journal: Tuberc Res Treat Date: 2014-04-28