Health Related Quality of Life and its Effective Factors in Tuberculosis Patients Receiving Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course (DOTS)

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and related factors among TB
patients receiving Directly Observed Treatment Short course (DOTS) in District Tuberculosis Centre, Vellore,
Tamil Nadu.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the District Tuberculosis Centre, Vellore between January
and June, 2018. Health related quality of life was measured using the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire which
measured HRQoL in 8 domains. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistics Package for Social Scientists
(SPSS; Windows version 21.0). The nonparametric tests including Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis were
performed to find out differences between different variables.
Results: A total of 268 participants were recruited for the study. Highest HRQoL scores were observed in the
domain of physical functioning (67.19 + 7.31) followed by domain on limited physical activity due to physical
problems (64.97 + 13.23).
The lowest scores were in the domain of general health (58.89+ 17.07) followed by domain of bodily pain (59.45
+ 13.24).
Conclusion: The results of the study concluded that TB had negative impact on patients HRQoL with general health
being the most affected. The present study underscores the need for targeted, culturally relevant psychosocial
support interventions for persons treated for TB disease, especially during the early months of treatment.