Lima Agostinho Viana, Cossa Hermínio, Djive Hélder, Cossa Otília, Cumbe Miguel, Acácio Sozinho, Nkala Babongile, Nsubuga Kikoyo Joachim, Carratala-Castro Lucia, Ehrlich Joanna, Hermans Sabine, Kay Alexander, Ssengooba Willy, Mandalakas Anna, Lange Christoph, Enguita-Fernàndez Cristina, Munguambe Khátia, Garcia-Basteiro Alberto L
Centro de Investigação em Saúde da Manhiça (CISM), Manhiça, Mozambique.
College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, Baylor, Eswatini.
PLOS Glob Public Health. 2025 Aug 18;5(8):e0004734. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0004734. eCollection 2025.
Although tuberculosis is a preventable and treatable disease, its management has been challenging for tuberculosis control and prevention programs in low- and middle- income countries such as Mozambique. We assessed the TB knowledge and healthcare-seeking behaviors among adults with HIV and caregivers of paediatric patients with symptoms of TB. The study was conducted between February and October 2023 at Manhiça District Hospital. A total of 60 interviews were conducted with people with HIV and caregivers of paediatric patients showing symptoms of TB. The interviews were transcribed, coded using an excel matrix, and analyzed using a content analysis approach. Half of the participants recognized airborne transmission through coughing as the main mode of TB transmission, while others were unsure or linked TB to sociocultural beliefs. Coughing was identified by most as the main symptom, with some also mentioning chest pain, bleeding, fatigue or weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats. Many respondents believed that avoiding sharing utensils was the main way of preventing TB. Respecting the respondents' reasons and time taken to seek health care, our findings revealed that most participants had experienced the persistent coughing for more than 3 weeks. Some sought medical care, but did not see any improvement, while others chose to wait for their next scheduled doctor visit, hoping to address their symptoms. Our results showed that delays in seeking care were common among participants with TB symptoms, reflecting limited awareness of the disease. Factors such as waiting for the next scheduled doctor's visit, misinterpreting symptoms, and misconceptions about TB may have contributed to these delays. To address this, raising awareness about TB transmission, symptoms and prevention, dispelling myths through health education, and improving TB symptom follow-up through a coordinated approach across various patient entry points are essential.
尽管结核病是一种可预防和可治疗的疾病，但对于莫桑比克等低收入和中等收入国家的结核病控制和预防项目来说，其管理一直具有挑战性。我们评估了艾滋病毒感染者以及有结核病症状的儿科患者的照顾者的结核病知识和就医行为。该研究于2023年2月至10月在曼希卡区医院进行。共对60名艾滋病毒感染者和有结核病症状的儿科患者的照顾者进行了访谈。访谈内容被转录，使用Excel矩阵进行编码，并采用内容分析法进行分析。一半的参与者认识到咳嗽导致的空气传播是结核病的主要传播方式，而其他人不确定或将结核病与社会文化信仰联系起来。大多数人认为咳嗽是主要症状，一些人还提到胸痛、出血、疲劳或虚弱、体重减轻、发烧和盗汗。许多受访者认为避免共用器具是预防结核病的主要方法。考虑到受访者寻求医疗保健的原因和所花费的时间，我们的研究结果显示，大多数参与者咳嗽持续了3周以上。一些人寻求了医疗护理，但没有看到任何改善，而其他人则选择等待下一次预约的医生就诊，希望缓解症状。我们的结果表明，有结核病症状的参与者中普遍存在就医延迟的情况，这反映出对该疾病的认识有限。等待下一次预约的医生就诊、对症状的误解以及对结核病的错误观念等因素可能导致了这些延迟。为了解决这个问题，提高对结核病传播、症状和预防的认识，通过健康教育消除误解，以及通过跨不同患者入口点的协调方法改善结核病症状随访至关重要。
