KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE WITH REGARD TO TUBERCULOSIS AND HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS CO-INFECTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH TUBERCULOSIS

Background: Recent estimates from the Ministry of Health and Social Services in Namibia indicate that, 74% of TB patients have a known HIV status, and that among them 58% are HIV positive (MOHSS, 2010). It is in light of this, that the study aimed to assess the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of TB patients with regard to TB and TB-HIV co-infection in the district of Walvis Bay, in the western part of Namibia. The study was conducted among TB patients aged 18 years and older who were registered from January to June 2010.

Methodology: A quantitative research method using a cross-sectional survey design was used. Data was collected from 267 respondents using a structured questionnaire administered by research assistants in face-to-face interviews with the respondents. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, Guttman scaling, Q-sort technique and factor analysis, ANOVA and Chi- square test procedures in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 16.

Results: The majority of the respondents (78.2%) had a high level of knowledge on prevention and 73.5% had a low level of knowledge on care. More than sixty percent (65%) of respondents with an unknown HIV status had a positive attitude towards VCT. The majority of respondents (84.4%) with an unknown HIV status were willing to be tested for HIV when there were diagnosed with TB.

Discussion and Conclusion: The findings showed a high level of knowledge on TB/HIV prevention and a low level of knowledge on TB/HIV treatment and care. The study also showed that respondents who did not know their HIV status had a positive attitude towards VCT

 services, while those who knew their status had a positive attitude towards HIV/TB prevention and care programmes. Finally, the findings also showed that most respondents trusted conventional medicine more than traditional medicine. All these findings suggested that respondents had good knowledge of HIV and TB co-infection, had a positive attitude and practiced favourable behaviour towards programmes related to the prevention and care of this co-infection.