Latent Tuberculosis Infection in Focus: Evaluating Public Concerns, Treatment Perceptions, and Awareness in King Sabatha Dalindyebo Local Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa

This is supplementary data.Backgroiund: Latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) remains a neglected component of tuberculosis (TB) control in South Africa, despite its potential to progress to active disease and perpetuate transmission. This study assessed public awareness, perceptions of LTBI treatment, and perceived barriers to care in a high-burden rural setting of the Eastern Cape.Methods: A cross-sectional, community-based survey was conducted among adults residing in the King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality. A structured questionnaire captured participants’ knowledge of LTBI, concern about disease progression, understanding of consequences, and perceived barriers to testing and treatment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, Pearson’s correlation, and multivariate logistic regression to identify independent predictors of LTBI knowledge and attitude, controlling for demographic variables such as age, gender, and education.Results: Awareness of LTBI differed significantly across age groups (p = 0.0414), peaking among participants aged 20–29 years (52.7%; 95% CI: 44.7–60.7) and declining sharply among those aged 50–59 (15.8%; 95% CI: 5.5–37.6). Belief in the necessity of treatment was strongest among those aged <20 (66.7%) and 20–29 (62.3%; 95% CI: 54.2–69.8; p = 0.0036), but treatment uptake remained low across all age groups, reaching only 14.8% (95% CI: 5.9–32.5; p = 0.0003) among 30–39-year-olds. Although concern about LTBI progression was high (75.1%; 95% CI: 69.3–80.1; p < 0.0001), only 38.3% accurately identified the full consequences of untreated LTBI (p = 0.0012). Lack of awareness emerged as the leading barrier (62.4%; 95% CI: 56.2–68.3; p < 0.0001), followed by fear of side effects (14.7%) and stigma (13.9%). Correlation analysis revealed a weak but significant association between understanding of consequences and reduced informational barriers (r = 0.186; 95% CI: 0.064–0.307; p = 0.0035). Multivariate analysis identified lower educational attainment as a significant independent predictor of poor LTBI knowledge (AOR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.31–0.88; p = 0.017).Conclusion: Findings reveal a persistent disconnect between awareness, concern, and preventive action regarding LTBI. Despite widespread worry about disease progression, understanding and treatment engagement remain limited. Addressing this behavioral gaprequires targeted community education, stigma reduction, and age- and gender-sensitive health messaging to strengthen LTBI prevention and TB control in rural South Africa.

本数据集为补充数据。背景：尽管潜伏性结核感染(Latent tuberculosis infection, LTBI)有可能进展为活动性结核并持续传播，但它仍是南非结核(Tuberculosis, TB)防控工作中被忽视的一环。本研究针对东开普省高负担农村地区，评估了公众对LTBI的认知情况、对LTBI治疗的态度以及就医的感知障碍。方法：针对金萨巴塔·达林迪博地方自治市的成年居民开展了一项横断面社区调查。通过结构化问卷收集参与者对LTBI的认知、对疾病进展的担忧、对疾病后果的了解情况，以及对检测与治疗的感知障碍。采用描述性统计、卡方检验、皮尔逊相关分析及多因素logistic回归分析数据，以识别LTBI认知与态度的独立预测因子，并控制年龄、性别、受教育程度等人口统计学变量的影响。结果：不同年龄组人群对LTBI的认知率存在显著差异（p=0.0414），20~29岁参与者的认知率最高（52.7%；95%置信区间：44.7~60.7），50~59岁人群的认知率则急剧下降至15.8%（95%置信区间：5.5~37.6）。对治疗必要性的认可度在<20岁组（66.7%）和20~29岁组（62.3%；95%置信区间：54.2~69.8；p=0.0036）中最高，但各年龄组的治疗接受率均较低，30~39岁组的治疗接受率仅为14.8%（95%置信区间：5.9~32.5；p=0.0003）。尽管对LTBI进展的担忧率较高（75.1%；95%置信区间：69.3~80.1；p<0.0001），但仅有38.3%的参与者能准确识别未经治疗的LTBI的全部后果（p=0.0012）。认知不足是首要的就医障碍（62.4%；95%置信区间：56.2~68.3；p<0.0001），其次为对不良反应的恐惧（14.7%）和病耻感(stigma)（13.9%）。相关性分析显示，对疾病后果的了解与信息类障碍的减少存在微弱但显著的关联（r=0.186；95%置信区间：0.064~0.307；p=0.0035）。多因素分析显示，较低的受教育程度是LTBI认知水平低下的显著独立预测因子（调整后优势比(Adjusted Odds Ratio, AOR)=0.52；95%置信区间：0.31~0.88；p=0.017）。结论：研究结果显示，公众对LTBI的认知、担忧与预防行为之间始终存在脱节。尽管多数人群对疾病进展存在广泛担忧，但对LTBI的认知水平与治疗参与率仍然有限。要缩小这一行为差距，需要开展针对性的社区教育、降低病耻感，并发布针对年龄与性别差异的健康宣教信息，以加强南非农村地区的LTBI防控与结核控制工作。