‘A Study on Knowledge and Awareness of Tuberculosis among Undergraduate Students of Private Universities in Dhaka

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease which is transmitted through the air. This disease damages the lungs and other organs in the human body. TB is highly contagious and spreads when TB patients cough, sneeze, spit and talk. Due to the ease of infection, anyone can contract the disease. Unfortunately, not many people are aware about TB. This lack of knowledge and awareness is a problem anywhere around the globe. Therefore, the study attempts to examine the awareness regarding this disease. The main objective of this study is to review the level of knowledge and awareness on TB among undergraduate students of private universities in Dhaka. A cross sectional survey was conducted on 300 undergraduate students of 6 private universities in Dhaka. Data was collected from universities of Dhaka from June 2016 to September 2016 using a standard 4 pages questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel (version 2007). Among 300 students, male and female were 35.66% and 64.33% respectively. Majority of the students 96.33% had heard about TB. About 53.67% students responded to TB as a communicable disease, 85% students agreed that bacteria can cause TB, 55% students believed that TB is curable. About (60.66%) students were aware of the sign & symptoms of TB but remaining (39.33%) of had no idea about sign & symptoms of TB , (55%) of respondents had no knowledge about spread of TB and remaining (44.33%) respondents had knowledge about spread of TB. However students had poor knowledge about latent TB (65%), BCG vaccine (63.33%) and DOTs program (78.33%).About (61.33%) of students had idea about the way of TB curability, and 85.33% had idea about the place from where one can take treatment of TB. Most of the students (80%) had knowledge about precaution that should be taken by TB patients. Although our data showed insufficient general knowledge on tuberculosis among undergraduate students of private universities in Dhaka, this survey underlines the considerable need for improvement in knowledge about the disease, especially among students. In light of the scientific recommendations concerning knowledge about tuberculosis among students, progress of current health care curriculum must be aimed to develop students’ skills in this field.