gms | German Medical Science

Introduction/background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health problems worldwide, with a high prevalence especially in low- and middle-income countries and with middle-aged men as major risk group [1]. From Ukraine the seventh highest TB rate in the region of Eastern Europe is reported [2]. Misconceptions about TB are one of the key public health issues because of their influence on health and social behaviour; misconceptions can lead to stigmatization, to delay of health services use, and to promotion of disease spread [3].

Material and methods: The data from Ukraine Demographic Health Survey (DHS) of 2007 was used. 3,098 Ukrainian men (aged 15-54 years) of the entire country were included into the analysis. The dependent variable „misconception“ consisted of five items of TB transmission; respondents knowing the correct route of transmission (through the air when coughing or sneezing) was classified as “No misconceptions”. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify geographic and socio-economic factors associated with misconceptions of TB transmission.

Results: Nearly half of the sample (46%) reported misconceptions about TB transmission. The chance of reporting misconceptions about TB transmission increased with age. Men aged over 45 had a 1.65 higher chance to report misconceptions than men aged 15-24 (95% CI 1.23-2.22). Respondents who reported reading newspaper/magazine less than once a week had a 0.74 lower chance (95%-CI 0.63-0.87) to have misconceptions than men reading a newspaper/magazine at least once a week. Never married men reported misconceptions 1.29 (95%-CI 1.03-1.63) times more often than married men or those in a partnership. Men living in small cities (OR: 0.65; 95%-CI 0.52-0.82) or towns (OR: 0.75; 95%-CI 0.60-0.93) had lower chance of having misconceptions about TB transmission as compared to them living in the countryside. Male respondents in the South Ukraine had a 1.41 (95%-CI 1.12-1.79) times higher chance to report misconceptions about TB transmission than male respondents of the Central Ukraine.

Conclusion: Misconceptions about transmission of TB are widespread among Ukrainian men with geographic and socio-economic differences. Middle-aged men living in the countryside in southern and northern regions of Ukraine tend to have more misconceptions about transmission of TB, which indicates a need for targeted health communication campaigns. A reduction of misconceptions is necessary to enable an appropriate handling of TB infections in the society. This is a prerequisite to reduce stigmatization and new TB infection.