Factors Influencing Adherence to Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment among Adult Patients at St Francis’ Hospital-Katete, Zambia

Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) is a contagious bacterial infection of the lungs caused by mycobacterium tuberculosis, also known as tubercle bacilli. The symptoms of PTB can appear gradually and vary in severity. Malnutrition, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDs), age (young and old), diabetes mellitus, substance abuse, low socioeconomic status, malignancies, and or overcrowding are some of the common risk factors for PTB. According to the Zambia Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS, 2021), Zambia’s prevalence rate of PTB stood at 455 cases per 100,000 population. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended Direct Observation of Treatment (DOT) by a trained supervisor (WHO, 2019). However, implementing DOT in Zambia is challenging for both the patient and healthcare provider as it has been observed that a daily visit to a health facility for the first two months by PTB patients was very difficult for a range of reasons which included severe illness at the initiation of treatment, distance too far for walking, and high transportation costs. Objective: The study aimed at determining Factors Influencing Adherence to Pulmonary Tuberculosis Treatment among Adult PTB Patients at St Francis’ Hospital-Katete, Zambia. Methods and materials: Data was collected using a questionnaire and the study sample was one hundred (100) Adult PTB patients, who were selected by simple random sampling method. A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Chi-square test was used to determine the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Conclusion: The study revealed a significant association between ‘level of information and knowledge, individual motivational support, behavioural skill’ and ‘Adult PTB patients’ adherence to PTB treatment’. Level of Information and knowledge (p-value 0.001), Individual .........