Level of Family Support and Associated Factors Among Pulmonary Tuberculosis Patients in Eastern Uganda. A Baseline Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: The long treatment period for tuberculosis (TB) is associated with multiple challenges, some of which can be resolved through involving the patients' families in TB management. In Uganda, there is limited evidence on the extent to which family caregivers are supporting TB patients to achieve better outcomes. This study's aim was to determine the level of family support and associated factors among pulmonary tuberculosis (pTB) patients.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional baseline survey conducted at 5 TB treatment centers in Jinja, Eastern Uganda. We recruited 147 pTB patients on the first line of treatment. Data was collected on socio-demographics and clinical characteristics, as well as perceived and actual family support using semi-structured questionnaires. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics, with p-values, odds ratios, and corresponding confidence intervals, as well as the β-coefficient computed. Variables with p-value ≤0.05 were significantly associated with family support.

Results: About two in three (68.7%) of patients perceived a high level of support from their family members. Actual family support was received by 78.9% while 21.1% did not receive any form of support from their family members. The common forms of actual support received were medication reminders (65.3%), material support (55.8%), encouragement to take TB drugs (48.3%), emotional support (21.8%), and help with prescription refills (21.8%). The regression model explained two-thirds (63.9%) of the variance observed within the scores of perceived support [R² = 0.639, p-value <0.0001]. Family size was significantly associated with both perceived and actual family support.

Conclusion: Family caregivers play a vital role in assisting patients during the prolonged TB treatment period to overcome TB and treatment-related challenges. Healthcare providers should routinely assess the level of different forms of patient support and integrate routine family counseling sessions into TB care to improve support availability among TB patients.