Assessment of knowledge and practice about tuberculosis among eastern Ethiopian prisoners

To assess the level of knowledge and practice related to TB and identify predictive factors in three prisons in eastern Ethiopia: Dire Dawa, Jijiga and Harar.

Between July and November 2008, 382 TB patients and suspects were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression.

Only six (1.6%) prisoners described the cause of TB as being bacterial, while a wind locally known as 'nefas' was frequently mentioned (36.1%); nearly 75% of the prisoners correctly described breath as a mode of TB transmission; 116 (30.7%) did not know any measures for TB prevention and control; and half of the participants did not know that anti-tuberculosis drugs were provided free of charge. Significant predictors of TB knowledge were: incarceration in the Jijiga (OR 9.62, P < 0.001) and Dire Dawa (OR 2.14, P = 0.016) prisons, those who did not consult and receive treatment for TB symptoms (OR 2.46, P < 0.001), and prisoners without a past history of TB (OR 2.72, P = 0.002).

The study demonstrates that prisoners have a modest level of biomedical knowledge. As part of the National TB Programme, health education programmes need to be implemented to enhance prisoners' knowledge of TB.