The Innovative Socio-economic Interventions Against Tuberculosis (ISIAT) project: an operational assessment

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Social Medicine
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant public health challenge, particularly in impoverished communities.
• Social determinants such as poverty, depression, and stigma are common barriers to effective TB control.
• Targeting these social determinants is crucial for improving TB care and prevention services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of integrated socio-economic interventions on strengthening TB control.
• To assess the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving TB care uptake and reducing poverty.
• To analyze the association between socio-economic support and key TB control indicators.

Main Methods:

• A multidisciplinary team implemented community and household socio-economic interventions in TB-affected households in Lima, Peru.
• Interventions included education, community mobilization, psychosocial support, food/cash transfers, microcredit, and vocational training.
• An interim analysis assessed outcomes after providing interventions to 2078 people in 311 households.

Main Results:

• Poverty, depression, stigma, and isolation were prevalent among TB patients.
• Interventions achieved high engagement rates: 97% household visits, 71% community groups, 78% psychosocial support, 77% poverty reduction.
• Significant improvements observed in TB screening (82% to 96%), treatment completion (91% to 97%), HIV testing (31% to 97%), and preventive therapy (27% to 87%).

Conclusions:

• Integrated socio-economic interventions are effective in strengthening TB control programs.
• Addressing social determinants of health is vital for improving TB care access and outcomes.
• These findings support the integration of socio-economic support into public health strategies for infectious diseases.