Abstract:
Objective To analyze health care seeking delay and influencing factors in registered tuberculosis (TB) patients in Shaanxi province from 2015 to 2023, and provide evidence for the development of TB prevention and control strategies.
Methods The information of registered TB patients in Shaanxi from 2015 to 2023 and the trend of health care seeking delay rate was analyzed by using Joinpoint 5.3.0. Univariate analysis was performed by using χ2 test and influencing factors of health care seeking delay were analyzed using Binary logistic regression model.
Results During 2015−2023, a total of 166 653 TB cases were registered in Shaanxi, of which 87 621 had delayed health care seeking. The average rate of health care seeking delay was 52.57%, and the median delay was 15 (4, 39) days. There was a decreasing trend in the rate of health care seeking delay from 2015 to 2023 average annual percent change (AAPC) =− 3.70%, P<0.001. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that being woman (OR = 1.05, 95%CI: 1.03−1.07), age 45− <65 years (OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.06−1.13) and ≥65 years (OR = 1.09, 95%CI: 1.05−1.13), living in the northern Shaanxi (OR = 1.28, 95%CI: 1.24−1.31) and in southern Shaanxi (OR = 1.54, 95%CI: 1.50−1.57), passive detection (OR = 2.93, 95%CI: 2.16−3.98), tuberculous pleurisy (OR=1.08, 95%CI: 1.01−1.16), negative etiological detection (OR=1.20, 95%CI: 1.18 −1.23), and absence of etiological detection results (OR=1.17, 95%CI: 1.10−1.23), being retreated patients (OR=1.10, 95%CI:1.05−1.16) were the high−risk factors of health care seeking delay. Being students and children was the protective factor of health care seeking delay (OR = 0.77, 95%CI: 0.70−0.84).
Conclusion There was a decreasing trend in the rate of health care seeking delay in Shaanxi from 2015 to 2023, but the health care seeking delay is still relatively common in TB patients. It is necessary to take measures to reduce the rate of health care seeking delay, such as strengthened health education, improved active screening, and better healthcare services.