Age differences in factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis: a cross-sectional study of Indonesian Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS) 2018.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence across age groups and age disparities in factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Indonesia through a large-scale sample study.

Methods: The data source was the National Basic Health Survey 2018. We recruited 715,394 individuals aged 16 years and older in this study. Rao-Scott Chi-square analyses and binary logistic regressions were employed to investigate the association of PTB with a significance threshold of 5%. Age-group disparities in factors significantly associated with PTB in all age groups were identified by interaction term analysis.

Results: In youth, middle-aged, and elderly groups, the prevalence of PTB was 3.5‰, 6.8‰, and 9.6‰, respectively. Logistic regressions with interaction term analysis found age differences in the association between PTB and former smokers (p for interaction = 0.022), diabetes (p for interaction = 0.0001), and heart disease (p for interaction = 0.005). Moreover, our findings showed age-related differences in the effect of sex, family size, and unemployment status on PTB. Males exhibited a greater PTB risk than females only among the middle-aged group (OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.48-2.86) and older adults (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.38-2.62). Larger families (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.12-1.59) and unemployed individuals (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.21-1.83) were significantly associated with PTB only among middle-aged adults.

Conclusion: Comprehending age-specific factors for PTB is crucial for developing effective public health strategies. Early detection and advanced health education for PTB should be targeted at elderly men and middle-aged men who are jobless or have a large family.