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Knowledge and Attitudes About Tuberculosis Among U.S.-Born Blacks and Whites with Tuberculosis

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Abstract

Non-Hispanic blacks represent 13 % of the U.S.-born population but account for 37 % of tuberculosis (TB) cases reported in U.S.-born persons. Few studies have explored whether this disparity is associated with differences in TB-related knowledge and attitudes. Interviews were conducted with U.S.-born, non-Hispanic blacks and whites diagnosed with TB from August 2009 to December 2010 in cities and states that accounted for 27 % of all TB cases diagnosed in these racial groups in the U.S. during that time period. Of 477 participants, 368 (77 %) were non-Hispanic black and 109 (23 %) were non-Hispanic white. Blacks had significantly less knowledge and more misconceptions about TB transmission and latent TB infection than whites. Most TB patients in both groups recalled being given TB information; having received such information was strongly correlated with TB knowledge. Providing information to U.S.-born TB patients significantly increased their knowledge and understanding of TB. More focused efforts are needed to provide TB information to U.S.-born black TB patients.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the investigators and staff at all the participating locations: Georgia: Gemina Albritton, Henry M. Blumberg, Michael Leonard, Jerome Mack, Jane Tapia; New York, NY: Holly Anger, Hugo Ortega; North Carolina: Shelly Harris, Monique Clayton, Burton Levine, Qiang Xia; Houston, TX: Edward A. Graviss, Larry Teeter, Pandora Williams;Virginia: Suzanne Keller, Brenda Mayes; Dallas, TX: Kenya Kemp, Chasity Lovely, Charles Wallace; Maryland and Washington, D.C.: Wendy Cronin, Fran Maurer, Bee Munk, Heather Rutz; Tennessee: Tamara Chavez-Lindell, Joe Pinilla, Trudy Stein-Hart, Jon Warkentin; New Jersey and Philadelphia, PA: Amy Davidow, Anna Sevilla, Jennifer Vergeon; We also thank the CDC DTBE project coordinator Melissa Pagaoa.

Conflict of interest

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop F-61, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Dolores J. Katz

  2. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Chaturia D. Rouse

  3. Charles P. Felton National Tuberculosis Center, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Paul W. Colson & Yael Hirsch-Moverman

  4. RTI International, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA

    Rachel A. Royce

  5. New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY, USA

    Meredith M. Howley

Authors
  1. Meredith M. Howley
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  2. Chaturia D. Rouse
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  3. Dolores J. Katz
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  4. Paul W. Colson
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  5. Yael Hirsch-Moverman
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  6. Rachel A. Royce
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the Tuberculosis Epidemiologic Studies Consortium

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Correspondence to Meredith M. Howley.

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Meredith M. Howley and Chaturia D. Rouse share responsibility as first author.

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Howley, M.M., Rouse, C.D., Katz, D.J. et al. Knowledge and Attitudes About Tuberculosis Among U.S.-Born Blacks and Whites with Tuberculosis. J Immigrant Minority Health 17, 1487–1495 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0105-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-014-0105-9

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