Study of social stigma among tuberculosis patients from western Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Understanding tuberculosis-related perceived stigma will enable us to provide programmatic inputs for effective intervention strategies. Aim of this investigation was to assess the social stigma among the tuberculosis patients attending DOTS centers and to find out the factors related to social stigma perceived by them. Methods: Three hundred subjects diagnosed with tuberculosis seeking treatment at DOTS centers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Patients aged >18 years diagnosed with tuberculosis, seeking treatment at these DOTS centers were included in this study. Study subjects were randomly selected and interviewed when they visited the DOTS center. Results: Out of total, >65% subjects experienced stigma. 42% (n=126) revealed that they had fear of disclosing illness to his or her friends. About 31% (n=92) did not disclose their illness to friends. 20.3% (n=52) subjects faced a negative reaction in the form of avoidance by their friends after knowing about their illness. 40 (37%) females compared to 50 (26%) males felt bad about behavior of others towards them after knowing their illness. 37% of females and 19.8% of male subjects were shocked and upset by reaction of family members. Conclusion: TB stigma is still deep rooted in our society. Study provided a fair idea about factors behind the stigma and gave us the direction for making improvements. Patient centric tailored approach to reduce TB stigma is expected to pay dividends towards effective tuberculosis control.