title: [Women's knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors related to tuberculosis: results from a survey with participants of seminars held by the National Federation of Community Women's Organizations for Tuberculosis Control].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  With an aim of advancing knowledge: that supports strategies for tuberculosis (TB) prevention, the current study was designed (1) to examine knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors towards general health and diseases, including TB, and (2) to explore relationships among knowledge, perceptions, beliefs of TB, and TB prevention behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire surveys were conducted for 827 study participants who were attendees of seminars held by the National Federation of Community Women's Organizations for TB Control and the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, between February 2010 and February 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 70% of the participants understood correctly such general facts on TB as the necessity of TB examinations for those who had contact with TB patients and individuals whose coughing persists for more than two weeks, and differences between TB infection and active TB disease. Only 30% to 40% of the participants answered correctly questions about epidemiological facts on TB, such as "TB infection tends to progress to active TB disease within one year," or "The proportion of individuals who develop active disease after TB infection is less than one fifth." The study participants perceived their susceptibility to TB to be significantly lower than that of the average peer, suggesting that so-called "optimistic bias," a cognitive bias, should exist on this matter. Those study participants who do not have personal history of TB nor contact with TB patients tend to perceive their susceptibility to be significantly lower than those who have. There were statistically significant gaps between intentions to prevent TB and actual behaviors taken to prevent it.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results from the current survey revealed several aspects of TB that are not fully understood yet. It is suggested that it should still remain important for healthcare providers in Japan to disseminate accurate and detailed knowledge on TB to the public in more easy-to-understand formats. Findings on optimistic bias and gaps between intentions and behaviors imply the needs for closer considerations to diverse psychological facets in the process of designing of disease prevention programs. Future investigations on psychological aspects of disease prevention behaviors are recommended in order to promote effective preventions of TB.
authors.affiliation: Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, 1-3-12, Misaki-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0061, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akishinonomiya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*