Abstract
BACKGROUND: Safe sputum disposal practices minimise the spread of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). OBJECTIVES: To study the perceptions and practices of sputum disposal among PTB patients. METHODOLOGY: This study was conducted among 206 diagnosed sputum-positive TB patients registered in selected DOTS centres in Mangalore. RESULTS: Safe sputum disposal practice was followed by 50% of the subjects: it was higher among females (62%), patients of middle socio-economic status (75.5%) and those with a family history of TB (70%). Furthermore, 75% patients believed that TB was caused by several factors. CONCLUSIONS: High proportions of subjects were unaware about the causes of TB and did not practise safe disposal of sputum.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 621-623 |
Number of pages | 3 |
Journal | International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease |
Volume | 17 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1 2013 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Medicine