title: Factors associated with patient delay in accessin pulmonary tuberculosis care, Gezira State, Sudan, 2009.
abstract: Analyses of patient delays in seeking treatment for tuberculosis (TB) provide useful evidence for national TB control programmes. The objectives of this study in Gezira State, Sudan were to estimate the extent of, and factors associated with, pulmonary TB patient delay in accessing care. A cross-sectional phase was conducted to determine the length of delay, followed by a nested case-control phase comparing patients delaying above or below the median time. The mean patient delay was 27.2 days, median 4 days (range 0-365 days). There were no significant differences between case and control groups in terms of age, sex, marital status, educational level or smoking status. However, patients living in urban areas, with low income status and who were housewives or unemployed were more likely to delay. Also patients with a history of contact with a TB patient, those who suspected TB and those with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were more likely to delay.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. elsadigoo@gmail.com
authors.forename: E Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Abdalla
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Khamis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abdelbadea
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abdelgadir
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013397:Sudan; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents