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Timire C, Houben RMGJ, Pedrazzoli D, Ferrand RA, Calderwood CJ, Bond V, Mbiba F, Kranzer K. Higher loss of livelihood and impoverishment in households affected by tuberculosis compared to non-tuberculosis affected households in Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.12.05.23299470. [PMID: 38106129 PMCID: PMC10723493 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.05.23299470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) disproportionally affects poor people, leading to income and non-income losses. Measures of socioeconomic impact of TB, e.g. impoverishment and patient costs are inadequate to capture non-income losses. We applied impoverishment and a multidimensional measure on TB and non-TB affected households in Zimbabwe. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in 270 households: 90 non-TB; 90 drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB), 90 drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021). Household data included ownership of assets, number of household members, income and indicators on five capital assets: financial, human, social, natural and physical. We determined proportions of impoverished households for periods 12 months prior and at the time of the interview. Households with incomes below US$1.90/day were considered to be impoverished. We used principal component analysis on five capital asset indicators to create a binary outcome variable indicating loss of livelihood. Log-binomial regression was used to determine associations between loss of livelihood and type of household. Results TB-affected households reported higher previous episodes of TB and household members requiring care than non-TB households. Households that were impoverished 12 months prior to the study were: 21 non-TB (23%); 40 DS-TB (45%); 37 DR-TB (41%). The proportions increased to 81%, 88% and 94%, respectively by the time of interview. Overall, 56% (152/270) of households sold assets: 44% (40/90) non-TB, 58% (52/90) DS-TB and 67% (60/90) DR-TB. Children's education was affected in 31% (56/180) of TB-affected compared to 13% (12/90) non-TB households. Overall, 133(50%) households experienced loss of livelihood, with TB-affected households twice as likely to experience loss of livelihood; adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR=2.02 (95%CI:1.35-3.03)). The effect of TB on livelihood was most pronounced in poorest households (aPR=2.64, (95%CI:1.29-5.41)). Conclusions TB-affected households experienced greater socioeconomic losses compared to non-TB households. Multidimensional measures of TB are crucial to inform multisectoral approaches to mitigate impacts of TB and other shocks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Collins Timire
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- AIDS & TB Department, Ministry of Health and Child Care, Harare, Zimbabwe
- The Health Research Unit, Biomedical Research & Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Rein MGJ Houben
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Debora Pedrazzoli
- Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK
| | - Rashida Abbas Ferrand
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- The Health Research Unit, Biomedical Research & Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Claire J Calderwood
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- The Health Research Unit, Biomedical Research & Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Virginia Bond
- Department of Global Health and Development, Faculty of Public Health and Policy London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- Social Sciences Unit, Zambart, Lusaka, Zambia
| | - Fredrick Mbiba
- The Health Research Unit, Biomedical Research & Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | - Katharina Kranzer
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
- The Health Research Unit, Biomedical Research & Training Institute, Harare, Zimbabwe
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, University Hospital, LMU Munich
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Munich
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“I’m suffering for food”: Food insecurity and access to social protection for TB patients and their households in Cape Town, South Africa. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0266356. [PMID: 35472210 PMCID: PMC9041827 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major health concern and the number one cause of death in South Africa. Social protection programmes can strengthen the resilience of TB patients, their families and households. This study aimed to get a better understanding of the role of social protection and other forms of support in relation to the burden of TB on patients and their households in South Africa.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional exploratory qualitative study using a phenomenological approach to focus on the lived experiences and perceptions of TB patients and healthcare workers. We interviewed 16 patients and six healthcare workers and analysed data thematically.
Results
The challenges faced by participants were closely related to household challenges. Participants reported a heavy physical burden, aggravated by a lack of nutritious food and that households could not provide the food they needed. Some needed to resort to charity. At the same time, households were significantly affected by the burden of caring for the patient—and remained the main source of financial, emotional and physical support. Participants reported challenges and costs associated with the application process and high levels of discretion by the assessing doctor allowing doctors’ opinions and beliefs to influence their assessment.
Conclusion
Access to adequate nutritious food was a key issue for many patients and this need strained already stretched households and budgets. Few participants reported obtaining state social protection support during their illness, but many reported challenges and high costs of trying to access it. Further research should be conducted on support mechanisms and interventions for TB patients, but also their households, including food support, social protection and contact tracing. In deciding eligibility for grants, the situation of the household should be considered in addition to the individual patient.
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Valencia-Aguirre S, Arroyave I, García-Basteiro AL. Educational level and tuberculosis mortality in Colombia: growing inequalities and stagnation in reduction. CAD SAUDE PUBLICA 2022; 38:e00031721. [PMID: 35107505 DOI: 10.1590/0102-311x00031721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
We aim to describe the role of educational inequalities, for sex and age groups, in adult tuberculosis (TB) mortality in Colombia, 1999-2017. We linked mortality data to data estimation of the national population based on censuses and surveys to obtain primary, secondary, and tertiary adult (25+ years of age) age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) by educational level. Thus, a population-based study was conducted using national secondary mortality data between 1999 and 2017. Tuberculosis age-standardized mortality rates were calculated separately by educational level, sex, and age groups, using Poisson regression models. Educational relative inequalities in adult mortality were evaluated by calculating the rate ratio, and the relative index of inequality (RII). Trends and joinpoints were evaluated by annual percentage change (APC). We found that, out of the 19,720 TB deaths reported, 69% occurred in men, and 45% in older adults (men and women, aged 65+). Men presented higher TB mortality rates than women (ASMR men = 7.1/100,000 inhabitants, ASMR women = 2.7/100,000 inhabitants). As mortality was consistently higher in the lowest educational level for both sexes and all age groups, inequalities in TB mortality were found to be high (RII = 9.7 and 13.4 among men and women, respectively) and growing at an annual rate of 8% and 1%. High and increasing inequalities, regarding educational level, in TB mortality in Colombia suggest the need to comprehensively address strategies for reducing TB by considering social determinants and including health education strategies throughout the country.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivan Arroyave
- Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Alberto L García-Basteiro
- Centro de Investigação em Saúde de Manhiça, Maputo, Moçambique.,Institut de Salut Global de Barcelona, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, España
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Evans D, van Rensburg C, Govathson C, Ivanova O, Rieß F, Siroka A, Sillah AK, Ntinginya NE, Jani I, Sathar F, Rosen S, Sanne I, Rachow A, Lönnroth K. Adaptation of WHO's generic tuberculosis patient cost instrument for a longitudinal study in Africa. Glob Health Action 2021; 14:1865625. [PMID: 33491593 PMCID: PMC7850383 DOI: 10.1080/16549716.2020.1865625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The WHO developed a generic 'TB patient cost survey' tool and a standardized approach to assess the direct and indirect costs of TB incurred by patients and their households, estimate the proportion of patients experiencing catastrophic costs, and measure the impact of interventions to reduce patient costs. While the generic tool is a facility-based cross-sectional survey, this standardized approach needs to be adapted for longitudinal studies. A longitudinal approach may overcome some of the limitations of a cross-sectional design and estimate the economic burden of TB more precisely. We describe the process of creating a longitudinal instrument and its application to the TB Sequel study, an ongoing multi-country, multi-center observational cohort study. We adapted the cross-sectional WHO generic TB patient cost survey instrument for the longitudinal study design of TB Sequel and the local context in each study country (South Africa, Mozambique, Tanzania, and The Gambia). The generic instrument was adapted for use at enrollment (start of TB treatment; Day 0) and at 2, 6, 12 and 24 months after enrollment, time points intended to capture costs incurred for diagnosis, during treatment, at the end of treatment, and during long-term follow-up once treatment has been completed. These time points make the adapted version suitable for use in patients with either drug-sensitive or drug-resistant TB. Using the adapted tool provides the opportunity to repeat measures and make comparisons over time, describe changes that extend beyond treatment completion, and link cost survey data to treatment outcomes and post-TB sequelae. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT032516 August 1196, 2017. Abbreviations: DOTS: Directly observed treatment, short-course; DR-TB: Drug-resistant tuberculosis; MDR-TB: Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis; NTP: National Tuberculosis Programme; TB: Tuberculosis; USD: United States Dollar; WHO: World Health Organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Evans
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Craig van Rensburg
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Caroline Govathson
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Olena Ivanova
- Division of Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine, Klinikum of the University of Munich , Munich, Germany
| | - Friedrich Rieß
- Division of Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine, Klinikum of the University of Munich , Munich, Germany
| | - Andrew Siroka
- Health Financing Department, World Health Organization , Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Abdou K Sillah
- Medical Research Council Unit, The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine , Fajara, The Gambia
| | | | - Ilesh Jani
- Instituto Nacional de Sauúde (INS) , Maputo, Mozambique
| | | | - Sydney Rosen
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa.,Department of Global Health, Boston University School of Public Health , Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ian Sanne
- Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa.,Clinical HIV Research Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand , Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Andrea Rachow
- Division of Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine, Klinikum of the University of Munich , Munich, Germany
| | - Knut Lönnroth
- Department of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institute , Stockholm, Sweden
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Lwin TT, Apidechkul T, Saising J, Upala P, Tamornpark R. Barriers to accessing TB clinics among Myanmar TB patients attending a Thailand‐Myanmar border hospital: a qualitative approach. JOURNAL OF HEALTH RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.1108/jhr-03-2020-0079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PurposeThis qualitative approach study aimed to understand the barriers to accessing a tuberculosis (TB) clinic in a Thai hospital as experienced by TB patients from Myanmar living on the Thailand-Myanmar border.Design/methodology/approachTwenty-two participants were asked to provide information. In-depth interviews were used to gather the information. Each interview lasted 40 min.FindingsTB patients from Myanmar experience several barriers to accessing TB treatment and care at Mae Sai Hospital, such as language and economic problems, although they are very satisfied with the quality of service and positive attitude of the health care providers. A long waiting time and lack of explanation of the pathogenesis of TB were noted as negative aspects by the patients and their relatives. The medical staff at the TB clinic were negatively affected by the excessive workload and unsuitability of some methods or technologies. Using budgetary subsidies from agencies to fund TB care and treatment was not sustainable. Foreign TB patients are not subsidized by the national universal insurance scheme of Thailand, and sending TB patients back to their home country is sometimes unavoidable.Originality/valueThailand and Myanmar should strengthen their collaboration and develop a system to improve the quality of TB patient care and management for those who are living in poverty and lack education, by focusing on reducing language and economic barriers to accessing health care services including support for medicines and laboratory materials related to TB case management among these populations.
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A clinical score for identifying active tuberculosis while awaiting microbiological results: Development and validation of a multivariable prediction model in sub-Saharan Africa. PLoS Med 2020; 17:e1003420. [PMID: 33170838 PMCID: PMC7654801 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In highly resource-limited settings, many clinics lack same-day microbiological testing for active tuberculosis (TB). In these contexts, risk of pretreatment loss to follow-up is high, and a simple, easy-to-use clinical risk score could be useful. METHODS AND FINDINGS We analyzed data from adults tested for TB with Xpert MTB/RIF across 28 primary health clinics in rural South Africa (between July 2016 and January 2018). We used least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression to identify characteristics associated with Xpert-confirmed TB and converted coefficients into a simple score. We assessed discrimination using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, calibration using Cox linear logistic regression, and clinical utility using decision curves. We validated the score externally in a population of adults tested for TB across 4 primary health clinics in urban Uganda (between May 2018 and December 2019). Model development was repeated de novo with the Ugandan population to compare clinical scores. The South African and Ugandan cohorts included 701 and 106 individuals who tested positive for TB, respectively, and 686 and 281 randomly selected individuals who tested negative. Compared to the Ugandan cohort, the South African cohort was older (41% versus 19% aged 45 years or older), had similar breakdown of biological sex (48% versus 50% female), and had higher HIV prevalence (45% versus 34%). The final prediction model, scored from 0 to 10, included 6 characteristics: age, sex, HIV (2 points), diabetes, number of classical TB symptoms (cough, fever, weight loss, and night sweats; 1 point each), and >14-day symptom duration. Discrimination was moderate in the derivation (c-statistic = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.81 to 0.82) and validation (c-statistic = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.69 to 0.80) populations. A patient with 10% pretest probability of TB would have a posttest probability of 4% with a score of 3/10 versus 43% with a score of 7/10. The de novo Ugandan model contained similar characteristics and performed equally well. Our study may be subject to spectrum bias as we only included a random sample of people without TB from each cohort. This score is only meant to guide management while awaiting microbiological results, not intended as a community-based triage test (i.e., to identify individuals who should receive further testing). CONCLUSIONS In this study, we observed that a simple clinical risk score reasonably distinguished individuals with and without TB among those submitting sputum for diagnosis. Subject to prospective validation, this score might be useful in settings with constrained diagnostic resources where concern for pretreatment loss to follow-up is high.
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Creswell J, Khan A, Bakker MI, Brouwer M, Kamineni VV, Mergenthaler C, Smelyanskaya M, Qin ZZ, Ramis O, Stevens R, Reddy KS, Blok L. The TB REACH Initiative: Supporting TB Elimination Efforts in the Asia-Pacific. Trop Med Infect Dis 2020; 5:E164. [PMID: 33114749 PMCID: PMC7709586 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed5040164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
After many years of TB 'control' and incremental progress, the TB community is talking about ending the disease, yet this will only be possible with a shift in the way we approach the TB response. While the Asia-Pacific region has the highest TB burden worldwide, it also has the opportunity to lead the quest to end TB by embracing the four areas laid out in this series: using data to target hotspots, initiating active case finding, provisioning preventive TB treatment, and employing a biosocial approach. The Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH initiative provides a platform to support partners in the development, evaluation and scale-up of new and innovative technologies and approaches to advance TB programs. We present several approaches TB REACH is taking to support its partners in the Asia-Pacific and globally to advance our collective response to end TB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Creswell
- Stop TB Partnership, 1218 Geneva, Switzerland; (A.K.); (M.S.); (Z.Z.Q.)
| | - Amera Khan
- Stop TB Partnership, 1218 Geneva, Switzerland; (A.K.); (M.S.); (Z.Z.Q.)
| | - Mirjam I Bakker
- KIT Royal Tropical Institute, 1092 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (M.I.B.); (C.M.); (L.B.)
| | | | | | | | | | - Zhi Zhen Qin
- Stop TB Partnership, 1218 Geneva, Switzerland; (A.K.); (M.S.); (Z.Z.Q.)
| | | | | | - K Srikanth Reddy
- Global Affairs Canada, Global Health and Nutrition Bureau, Ottawa K1A 0G2, ON, Canada;
| | - Lucie Blok
- KIT Royal Tropical Institute, 1092 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; (M.I.B.); (C.M.); (L.B.)
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