Assessment of food preferences, eating practices, and nutritional status of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis patients in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a public health crisis throughout the world particularly due to its complexities in diagnosis, longer treatment regimen, and adverse drug reaction. This study aims to assess the nutritional practices and factors influencing nutritional status of resistant tuberculosis patients in Osun State.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive survey that used multistage sampling technique to select 100 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaire constructed based on study objectives through review of previous literature. SPSS (v 25) was used for the descriptive and inferential analysis of data collected. Level of significance was set at p=0.05.

Results: The majority of respondents were females (58%), married (68%), and unemployed (57%). The prevalence of malnutrition stood at 41%. Notably, a significant portion of respondents aged 10-19 years were underweight compared to older age groups (P < 0.05). A significant majority of respondents prioritize the expiry date (84%) over cost (16%) and actual food consumption (10%) when buying food, indicating a strong preference for food safety and freshness.Occupation emerged as the sole characteristic with a statistically significant relationship to respondents' nutritional practices (X² = 7.324, p = 0.026). Additionally, age exhibited statistically significant relationship with respondents' BMI (X² = 29.121, p = 0.004).

Conclusion: Prevalence of malnutrition was high among the respondents, particularly among younger age groups. These findings underscore the importance of heightened health promotion efforts on nutrition among MDR TB clients in Osun State.