Abstract:
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide and the
leading cause of death from a single infectious agent next to the COVID- 19 infection.
Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of
pulmonary TB among presumptive tuberculosis cases prisoners in West Shewa Zone prisons,
Oromia, Ethiopia, 2021.
Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted on 240 study participants.
All sputum samples were collected from presumptive tuberculosis cases prisoners and
examined using a sputum gene expert. Data were collected via face-to-face interviewers
administered structured questionnaires. Data were entered using Epi-Data version 3.1 and
SPSS version 25 Software Analysis. Descriptive statistics were presented using tables,
frequency, percentages, and graphs. A bivariable binary logistic regression was done to
identify associations between the dependent and independent variables. Those independent
variables with a p value < 0.25 in bivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used as a
candidate for multivariable binary logistic regression analysis and variables with a p value <
0.05 in multivariable binary logistic regression analysis were considered as those with a
significant association with pulmonary tuberculosis. Adjusted odds ratio with 95%
Confidence interval was computed and reported.
Results: The overall prevalence among suspected cases was 6.25 %( 95%CI: 1.70-10.90)
which makes the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis were 574 per 100,000 population of
prisoners. The prevalence of smear positive tuberculosis among the total prisoners was
0.57%. Those Body Mass Index greater than 25kg/m2 [AOR=0.03; 95%CI :( 0.01-0.21].
Those spending time outside the room every day [AOR=0.02; 95%CI :( 0.01-0.04)] and
number of prisoners per cell, 50-100[AOR=0.05; 95%CI :( 0.03-0.72)] were significantly
associated with pulmonary tuberculosis cases
Conclusions and Recommendations:-The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis among
presumptive tuberculosis cases prisoners in the west Shewa zone was 6.25%. Therefore,
pulmonary tuberculosis disease among presumptive tuberculosis cases prisoners is a health
problem that should be given due attention. Nutritional status as measured by BMI, spending
time outside the room, transferred in from other prisoners and having history of diagnosis
with tuberculosis was significantly associated with pulmonary tuberculosis cases. Special
attention should be given to reduce the spread of tuberculosis in prisons.
