Abstract:
Background: Tuberculosis in children often present with non-specific clinical
presentations making diagnosis challenging results in health professionals often to
overlook Tuberculosis and repeatedly treat them erroneously as sick child not
improving to standard treatment in integrated management of childhood illness.
Therefore, it is better to reveal determinants of pediatrics tuberculosis that can
predispose children to tuberculosis infection to alert, facilitating for actions for health
professionals, government and other stakeholders on tuberculosis diseases prevention
and treatment.
Objective: To identify determinants of pediatrics tuberculosis among children at
public health facilities in Ambo town, west Shoa zone, Oromia Ethiopia, 2025.
Methods: Institution based unmatched case control study was carried out January 1
to February 30, 2024 at Ambo town public health facilities, among 141 cases and 282
controls. The data were collected using adapted structured questionnaire, then entered
in to Epi-info-7, then exported to SPSS version 26. Bi-variables binary logistic
regression was used and variables with p-value < 0.25 were entered into multivariable
binary logistic regression model. Adjusted Odds Ratios with 95% confidence
intervals with respective p-values < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.
Hosmer and Lemeshow test checked the model fitness. Multi collinearity was
checked by variance inflation factor and no strong multi collinearity was identified.
Results: From the total sample size considered for the study, only 410 (137 cases and
273 controls) participated in the study which gave 96.9% response rate. The
independent predictors of pediatric tuberculosis were, contact history (AOR = 17.31
95% C.I. (13.99-21.87), unavailability of functional window (AOR = 8.86, C.I : 2.67 - 9.36) and presence of animals in the house (AOR =5.91, C.I: 2.099 - 16.65), having
malnutrition (AOR = 8.65, C.I: 3.40 - 11.60).
Conclusion and recommendations: According to this study children who have
contact history of tuberculosis, not vaccinated for measles, unavailability of
functional window in house, animals living in the house, have malnutrition are at risk
of acquiring the tuberculosis infection, Therefore concerned body is highly
recommended to increase public awareness on risk factors of pediatric TB, to separate
room for animals living in the house, benefit of availing functional windows in the
household, taking care of malnourished children, contact Tracing and contact
screening to enhance prevention.
