TUBERCULOSIS CASE FINDING PRACTICE: THE INTENTION OF CADRES

Abstract

TUBERCULOSIS CASE FINDING PRACTICE: THE INTENTION OF CADRES Agnes Pude Lepuen, Cicilia Nony Ayuningsih Bratajaya* , Sada Rasmada Sint Carolus School of Health Sciences, Jakarta 10440, Indonesia *E-mail: cicilianony@stik-sintcarolus.ac.id Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) is a difficult health problem to overcome. Active case finding is an important step in managing this infectious disease. However, the prevalence of TB case finding among cadres at the community level is low because of the stigma attached to TB, difficulty in geographical coverage, low public awareness, and social economic barriers. In addition, the empowerment and intention of cadres to perform community-based TB case finding are not optimal yet. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the intention of TB case finding among 162 public health cadres at one district. Convenient sampling technique was employed in this study. Relationship analyses were performed using ChiSquare test. Results suggested that three factors, namely, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control influenced the intention to practice TB case finding among cadres. Public health care providers must encourage cadres to practice active TB case finding and understand the benefits and burdens encountered by cadres during TB case finding. Keywords: attitude, intention, perceived behavior control, public health cadre, subjective norm, Tuberculosis case finding