title: Assessment of knowledge regarding tuberculosis among non-medical university students in Bangladesh: a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading cause of human death and TB is one of the major public health problems in Bangladesh. The aim of the present study was to assess the Knowledge about TB among non-medical university students in Bangladesh.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was performed on 839 non-medical university students. Data were collected from University of Rajshahi from March to August 2013 using a standard semi-structured questionnaire. Chi-square test was utilized to find the factors which are associated with students' knowledge about TB.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 839 students, male and female were 68.2 % and 31.8 % respectively. Most of the students (94.4 %) were informed about the term TB, among them 50 % got information from electronic media. More than 50 % students believed that TB is a communicable disease, 42.8 % students agreed that bacteria is an agent for TB, most of the subjects (93 %) had the knowledge about the vaccination against TB and 97.6 % students believed that TB is curable. However, students had poor knowledge about latent TB (13.7 %) and DOTs program (28.5 %). χ (2)-test demonstrated that gender, residence, type of family and parents education were associated with students' knowledge of TB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present study demonstrated that the level of general knowledge about TB was insufficient among non-medical university students. Consequently, health education program is needed to improve the knowledge among university students regarding TB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Science & Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh. masud.raj82@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Masud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rana
authors.affiliation: Divisional TB Expert, National Tuberculosis Control Program, Directorate General of Health Services, Dhaka, Bangladesh. sayem072003@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Abu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sayem
authors.affiliation: Development Association for self-reliance, Communication and Health, Rajshahi, 6201, Bangladesh. mel.dascoh@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Reazul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karim
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh. mnurul58@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nurul
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: Department of Population Science & Human Resource Development, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh. rafique_pops@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Rafiqul
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Islam
authors.affiliation: National Orthopaedic Centre of Excellence for Research and Learning (NOCERAL), Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. tkzrea@ummc.edu.my.
authors.forename: Tunku Kamarul
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Zaman
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, 6205, Bangladesh. hossain95@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Golam
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hossain
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001459:Bangladesh / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D013334:Students / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult