Tuberculosis knowledge, attitudes and practices: a cross-sectional study in the Somali population living in Finland

Background: In Finland, the epidemiology of tuberculosis is changing: incidence declined from 13/100 000 in 1995 to 4 in 2016 and the proportion of foreign-borns among all TB cases increased from 5% to 50%. The most common country of origin among foreign-born TB patients was Somalia. Knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) studies are used to collect information for planning and tailoring health care services. KAP studies in Finland have been used for other diseases but not to study Somalis in regards to TB.

Methods: The KAP were assessed by a piloted questionnaire. Convenience sampling was performed, and the questionnaire was administered in mosques, shops and Islamic events. Knowledge and attitudes were assessed by creating composite scores. Associations between sociodemographic characteristics and knowledge and attitudes were investigated using logistic regression to compute odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).

Results: A total of 407 participants took part; 49% were male. Low level of knowledge was held by 53% of participants, and favourable attitude regarding TB by 63%. Knowledge was not associated with gender or country of birth. Female participants were twice more likely to have a favourable attitude than males (adjusted OR, 2.37; 95%CI, 1.40-4.01). Those with high knowledge are twice more likely to have a favourable attitude towards TB (adjusted OR, 2.21; 95%CI, 1.32-3.69).

Conclusions: The population held a favourable attitude towards TB, but knowledge gaps and misconceptions regarding TB were found. The results of this study can be used for designing health communication and targeted preventive measures for the Somali population.