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KMID : 0383819710180040005
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Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
1971 Volume.18 No. 4 p.5 ~ p.28
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A Study of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Relative to Tuberculosis among Korean Adults; 1970
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Nak Chin Chung
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Abstract
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SUMMMARY
To determine the knowledge, attitudes, sad practices of Korean adult population
concerning tuberculosis, a questionnaire survey for 971 selected samples was conducted
during the second national tuberculosis prevalence survey in 1970. The summary of the
findings are as follows:
1) Radio and newspaper communication:
Nearly half of the respondents read newspaper and more than two-thirds of the
respondents had radio broadcasts communication. (Table 8)
2) Knowledge of the disease, "tuberculosis" :
The majority of the respondents (87.8 per cent) heard of tuberculosis as a disease but
still a sizable number of people are ignorant of this age-old disease.(Table 14)
3) Sources of information concerning tuberculosis:
Of all channels of information, human channels, comprising health center workers and
neighbors turned out to be the most common source of information (72.3 per cent) in
contrast to the non-human channels which consisted mostly of mass media (27.3 per
cent). (Table 19)
4) Understanding the mode of transmission of tuberculosis :
Nearly one-third of the respondents still hold the outdated idea that tuberculosis
results from heredity and nearly one-fourth did not know communicable nature of the
disease. (Table 21, 26)
5) Understanding of the symptoms and signs of tuberculosis:
More than half of tole respondents erroneously believe that tuberculosis is invariably
accompanied by objective symptoms, such as being thin and pale, having a cough and
bloody sputum and experiencing a loss of appetite. (Table 31, 35)
6) Understanding of the susceptibility of tuberculosis :
Only half of the respondents were aware of the fact that everybody is susceptible to
tuberculosis (Table 36). Those who said that they would not get tuberculosis simply
thought that they were in good health or that their previous X-ray examinations were
negative (Table 40)
7) Knowledge of diagnostic measure for tuberculosis :
More than half of the respondents knew of the X-ray examination and only 7.9 per
cent mentioned sputum examination as a diagnostic measure of tuberculosis. About
one-third of the respondents were not aware of any kind of tuberculosis check up
(Table 41).
8) Experience of X-ray examination:
46.2 per cent of the respondents had experience of X·ray examination in the past and
more than half of them had never had any X-ray check up (Table 1) Only one-third of
the respondents received an X-ray examination within the last three years (Table 50)
9) Attitudes toward free mobile X-ray examination:
The majority of the respondents appreciate the service of mobile X-ray units. Only 10
per cent of the respondents would refuse the service for reasons of good health, being
too busy or simply don't like it (Table 53,57)
10) Experience of sputum examination:
Only 13.2 per cent of the respondents had experience of sputum examination to check
tuberculosis (Table 58)
11) Attitudes toward the curability of tuberculosis:
More than two-thirds of the respondents believe that tuberculosis is curable (Table
64).
12) Attitudes toward the place of tuberculosis treatment:
More than two-thirds of the respondents preferred to go to a hospital, while only 14.5
per cent would go to health center (Table 68)
13) Knowledge of the free treatment service of the health centers:
More than half of the respondents knew the health centers as a place for free
treatment for tuberculosis (Table 70)
14) Knowledge and attitudes toward BCG vaccination :
More than two-thirds of the respondents knew that there is a vaccine to prevent
tuberculosis. The majority (93 per cent) would accept BCG vaccination for their children
(Table 75)
15) Experience of utilizing health center services:
Only one-third of the respondents had experience in utilizing health center services,
such as, 6.4 per cent in tuberculosis, 8.7 per cent in family planning, 9.8 per cent in
maternal and child health, and 11.5 per cent in others (Table 85, 88)
By analyzing different groups, in general, those who had the higher rate of incorrect
and inadequate understanding toward knowledge, attitudes, and practices of tuberculosis
and tuberculosis control were mostly rural people, women, illiterate or poorly educated
persons, laborers, farmers, and housewives, and those at a low socio-economic class.
V. SUGGESTIONS
Although there was improvement in the knowledge and attitude among the people in
regard to tuberculosis and its control as compared with the results of a similar survey
in 1965, much still has to be done to ensure that the general public has a sound
knowledge of tuberculosis. Groups who had the higher rates of incorrect and inadequate
understanding toward knowledge, attitudes, and practices on tuberculosis were mostly
women, illiterate or poorly educated persons, and older age groups. This survey
suggests the need for a more intensive program to be directed towards those poorly
educated people. The most striking observation is that a large percentage of the
respondents did not know of the available free services that are being offered by health
centers. We have shown that communication between Public Health Agencies and the
public is possible within the framework of the existing mass media and organizational
structures. What must be done, however, is to locate and identify new methods of
presenting information to block the problems of communication "tune out," and stress
educational programs on the basis of tuberculosis as a disease in order that a proper
frame of reference exists for the flow of information about available services. This is of
the utmost importance; since, when people have the knowledge of tuberculosis as a
disease, the elements of fear, "tune out" and social stigma can negate any service
project. These services are for the public and therefore must be understood by the
public before they can be expected to bring about positive cooperation with the health
administration. It has been said that education is the primary and indispensable weapon
in the fight to minimize tuberculosis. For more effective prevention and control, efforts
must be made to develop the people's awareness of the true facts about the disease and
to correct the distorted public attitude toward it, and to encourage them to take more
initiative and assume greater responsibility in helping themselves, their families, and
their communities solve the problem collectively. Here is where health education can
provide the key to the control of tuberculosis by bringing the gaps that medical
knowledge and modern control measures cannot handle effectively. In setting the health
education program against tuberculosis, the following objectives should be considered:
1 To increases public knowledge of tuberculosis, its cause, mode of transmission,
methods of prevention and control, approved means of treatment and care, and available
services for the community.
2. To help the people realize the seriousness of tuberculosis and its far-reaching
effects upon their social and economic life.
3. To foster individual and civic responsibility for the prevention and control of
tuberculosis.
For a stronger tuberculosis control program, especially in educational aspects, the
following suggestions are made:
1. The organized health education activities by health center TB workers should be
intensified. The workers must be taught techniques of teaching and motivating the
Public.
2. The health educator of the TB Association should take an active function of
community organization to stimulate the public to let them find the problem as their
own. Coordination of all ..available resources in the community must be developed and
continued.
3. Radio, newspaper and other available media must be properly utilized by the TB
Association and health center.
4. Available health center services must be known to all the public and available to
them in kind, convenient and trustworthy ways. Seemingly, a large percentage of the
respondents have not been utilizing health center services. 4 more useful approach,
perhaps, is to study "non-users" and "refusers. "
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