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Background <p>Tuberculosis remains a significant public health concern, particularly in resource-limited settings, where patients often experience compromised quality of life (QoL) due to the nature of the disease and its associated socioeconomic burdens and stigma. This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life, treatment adherence, and perceived stigma among patients receiving anti-TB therapy in three tertiary hospitals in Sierra Leone.</p> Method <p>An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 384 patients from Connaught Hospital, Lakka and Kenema government hospitals. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 16. Associations between independent variables and quality of life were determined using an independent sample T-test and ANOVA. Further analysis was done for significant variables using the backwards multivariate linear regression at a 95% CI.</p> Results <p>More than half of the patients 226 (58.9%) were male, with a mean age of 33.92 years. The overall adherence rate among the patients was 96.9%. The social health domain (64.65, ± 15.6) recorded the highest QoL score, while the environmental health domain (58.18, ± 13.5) was the lowest. The backward multivariate linear regression revealed a negative relationship between the patient age and the physical Health: Coef = -7.669; <i>P</i> = 0.000, psychological Health: Coef = -4.720; <i>P</i> = 0.017 and environmental health domains: Coef = -4.172; <i>P</i> = 0.005. Having kids was a significant factor for psychological health Coef = 4.636; <i>P</i> = 0.017 and being married was a positive factor for social Health Coef = 4.242; <i>P</i> = 0.008. Religion: Coef = -4.750; <i>P</i> = 0.000; and family economic situation: Coef = -8.087; <i>P</i> = 0.000 were both found to be negative factor for environmental health. The stigma assessment revealed that only 24 (6.3%) reported rejection by spouse and 50 (13.0%) by other family members.</p> Conclusion <p>Despite our study revealing a high adherence rate, gaps in the psychological and environmental quality of life, along with stigma, are some of the issues to be addressed. These findings highlight the need for enhancing family support, reducing economic burdens, and combating stigma through public health programs for better outcomes for TB patients.</p>

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Assessment of health-related quality of life and adherence to antituberculosis therapy among patients in three tertiary hospitals in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年7月31日

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  • Michael Lahai,
  • Sally-Mattu Conteh,
  • Ahmed Vandy,
  • Onome T. Abiri,
  • Brian Thompson,
  • Mohamed Bawoh,
  • Alvin Turay,
  • Peter Bai James

摘要

Background

Tuberculosis remains a significant public health concern, particularly in resource-limited settings, where patients often experience compromised quality of life (QoL) due to the nature of the disease and its associated socioeconomic burdens and stigma. This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life, treatment adherence, and perceived stigma among patients receiving anti-TB therapy in three tertiary hospitals in Sierra Leone.

Method

An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 384 patients from Connaught Hospital, Lakka and Kenema government hospitals. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 16. Associations between independent variables and quality of life were determined using an independent sample T-test and ANOVA. Further analysis was done for significant variables using the backwards multivariate linear regression at a 95% CI.

Results

More than half of the patients 226 (58.9%) were male, with a mean age of 33.92 years. The overall adherence rate among the patients was 96.9%. The social health domain (64.65, ± 15.6) recorded the highest QoL score, while the environmental health domain (58.18, ± 13.5) was the lowest. The backward multivariate linear regression revealed a negative relationship between the patient age and the physical Health: Coef = -7.669; P = 0.000, psychological Health: Coef = -4.720; P = 0.017 and environmental health domains: Coef = -4.172; P = 0.005. Having kids was a significant factor for psychological health Coef = 4.636; P = 0.017 and being married was a positive factor for social Health Coef = 4.242; P = 0.008. Religion: Coef = -4.750; P = 0.000; and family economic situation: Coef = -8.087; P = 0.000 were both found to be negative factor for environmental health. The stigma assessment revealed that only 24 (6.3%) reported rejection by spouse and 50 (13.0%) by other family members.

Conclusion

Despite our study revealing a high adherence rate, gaps in the psychological and environmental quality of life, along with stigma, are some of the issues to be addressed. These findings highlight the need for enhancing family support, reducing economic burdens, and combating stigma through public health programs for better outcomes for TB patients.