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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

DETERMINANTS OF TUBERCULOSIS 
SERVICES ACCEPTANCE AMONG PATIENTS IN 

IBADAN, NIGERIA 
Ojedokun Isaiah Mobolaji, PhD. 

 
ABSTRACT 
 

The paper examined the effects of religion, educational status and 
stigmatization on acceptance of tuberculosis services in government 
hospitals in Oyo State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey research design 
was adopted. The population consisted of three 300 tuberculosis 
patients attending a government chest hospital in Jericho, Ibadan. 
Purposive sampling method was used to select the respondents for 
the study. A structured questionnaire duly scrutinized and validated 
by experts in the field of health and medical social work was used. A 
reliability value of r=0.71 was obtained. Data collected were coded 
and analyzed with the use of frequency counts, percentages and 
Pearson correlation statistical method. The result of the study 
showed that stigmatization did not have any significant relationship 
on acceptance of tuberculosis services (r=0.001, n=300, P>0.05). 
Also, the finding revealed that there was a significant relationship 
between religion and acceptance of tuberculosis services (r=590, 
n=300, p<0.05) and there was a significant relationship between the 
level of education and acceptance of tuberculosis services (r=.253, 
n=300, p<0.05). It was recommended that tuberculosis education 
should form an essential part of social work, health education and 
health promotion curriculum. Also, there is the need for stakeholders 
to participate fully in the campaign to eradicate tuberculosis. 
Tuberculosis patients should be motivated to accept modern and free 
tuberculosis health services in Nigeria.  

 
KEY TERMS:  Tuberculosis infection, Acceptance of services, 
Education, Religion, Stigmatization 
 
Department of Social Work, Faculty of Education, University of 
Ibadan, Ibadan,  Nigeria. Contacts: mobolajiojedokun@yahoo.com  

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mailto:Contacts:%20mobolajiojedokun@yahoo.com


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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

INTRODUCTION 

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the worlds’ greatest public health 

challenges. It is a common lethal infectious disease caused by 

various strains of mycobacterium usually called mycobacterium 

tuberculosis. It usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other 

parts of the body such as the brain, bones and the spinal cord.  The 

mode of spread or transmission is through the air when people who 

have active TB infection cough, sneeze or otherwise transmit their 

saliva through the air. Konstantinos (2010) found out that, most 

infections in humans result in asymptomatic latent infection. About 

one in ten infections eventually progress to active disease which, if 

left untreated, kills more than fifty percent (50%) of its victims. This 

calls for a serious concern from the health social workers and health 

educators because the unprecedented spread of the disease remain a 

great challenge to the nation of Nigeria and there is urgent need for 

adequate and prompt intervention.   

BACKGROUND 

Prevalence of tuberculosis 

The portion of people who become sick with tuberculosis each year 

is stable or falling worldwide, but because of population growth, the 

absolute number of new cases is still increasing. Newacheck and 

McManus (2009) found out that, an estimated 13.7 million chronic 

cases, 9.3 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths, mostly in 

developing countries like Nigeria was reported in 2007.  In addition, 

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

more people in the developed world contract tuberculosis because 

their immune systems are more likely to be compromised due to 

higher exposure to immunosuppressive drugs, substance abuse and 

HIV and AIDS. In like manner, Kumar, Abbas, Fausto and Mitchell 

(2007) affirmed that, the distribution of tuberculosis is not uniform 

across the globe. About 80% of the population in many Asian and 

African countries test positive to tuberculin tests while only 5-10% 

of the United States’ population test positive. WHO (2012) further 

reported that, Nigeria has the world’s fourth largest tuberculosis 

(TB) burden with more than 460,000 estimated new cases in 2007. 

The report further said that, between 2002 and 2007, directly 

observed treatments (DOT) – the internationally recommended 

strategy for tuberculosis control- coverage had increased rapidly 

from 55% in 2002 to 91% in 2007. After declining for several years, 

the treatment success rate was established at 76%.   

 In the same vein, both case detection and treatment rates in Nigeria 

were among the lowest of high burden TB countries in Africa. This 

sends a crucial signal that the public health burden posed by TB is 

becoming increasingly important as the country’s HIV and AIDS 

epidemic unfolds.  In support of the aforesaid, Rubel and Garro 

(2002) found out that, more than a quarter of new TB patients are 

HIV positive. The report further said, as collaborative efforts are 

being scaled up, the number of TB patients tested for HIV and AIDS 

has increased from about 7,500 in 2006 to 27,850 in 200.  Premised 

on the above, the Federal Ministry of Health declared TB a national 

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

emergency in April 2006 and inaugurated the National 

TB/HIV/AIDS Working Group in June 2006. 

Nigeria is ranked high among the TB burden countries in the world.  

Because of the prevalence of TB, Nigeria ranked 10th among the 22 

high-burden TB countries in the world. According to WHO (2012), 

210, 000 new cases of all forms of TB occurred in the country in 

2010, an equivalence of 133/100,000 population. Also, there were an 

estimated 320,000 prevalent cases of TB in 2010, an equivalence of 

199/100,000 cases. Further, there were 90.447 TB cases notified in 

2010 with 41,416 (58%) cases as new smear positives, and a case 

detection rate of 40%. In the same vein, 83% of cases notified in 

2009 were successfully treated while the death rates have declined 

from 11% in 2006 to 5% in 2010. It is expected that TB programme 

will have a comprehensive prevalence and death rates by the year 

2015. Current literature revealed that, Lagos, Kano and Oyo State 

have the highest TB prevalence rate. Other states however 

experienced a drop in cases notified, resulting in 4% overall decline 

in 2010. Oyo State increased by 46.5% from 2008 to 2010. Also, 

record has it that Benue State has a high TB burden which is 

attributed to a high HIV prevalence.  

Tuberculosis as a global burden  

Neil (2012) postulated that, tuberculosis remains among the world’s 

great public health challenges, and the advances discussed hold 

promises for the development of better prevention and treatment of 

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

the disease. Robert Koch identified micro bacterium tuberculosis 

about 123 years ago. Since then, there have been great advances in 

our understanding of many of the crucial events in disease 

pathogenesis. It is however sad to note that, tuberculosis is nowhere 

near eradication or even control in many areas of the globe with 

adequate reference to the country Nigeria. It is worth recalling the 

words of Rene and Jean Dubos that “tuberculosis as it has been said, 

is a disease of incomplete civilization” meaning, it is a disease of the 

impoverished – the poor.  Neil further asserted that, vague as this 

statement appears at first, it underlines the fact that the anti- 

tuberculosis movement cannot be properly understood if seen only in 

its medical perspective for the historical and social background loom 

large in picture. However desirable the goal is, the complete 

elimination of tubercle bacilli is rendered impossible by economic 

and social factors.   

Tuberculosis control  

Education is a vital tool of eradicating TB disease. The possibility 

that, educated people will seek orthodox means of treatment may be 

much higher than that of the illiterate or person with little or no 

education. Education may also serve as means of enlightening the 

general public about the best treatment for TB patients. The health 

social worker should therefore be prepared to educate all TB 

suspects. Premised on the above, the Center for Disease Control and 

Prevention (2000) proposed the under listed procedures for 

controlling TB:  

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- Collection of 3 sputum specimen for identification of TB 
bacilli in the laboratory.   

- Collection of good sputum specimen including the time to 
produce the sputum, how to open and close the specimen 
container.   

- Educate the patient on the need to produce the sputum.   
- Confirm that the patient is ready for treatment.    

T B and health education challenge 

The challenge on the health social workers and allied medical 
practitioners is greatly enormous. Premised on this, the following 
health education guidelines and procedures were suggested by 
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2000). 

- The result of the sputum test and the type of disease diagnosed 
should be made known to the patient.   

- Explanation on the cause of the disease and how it is 
transmitted should be explicit.   

- The disease is curable provided the correct drugs and dosages 
are taken for a stipulated 8 months without a break.   

- Explain the types of the drugs and the number of times they 
ought to be taken.    

- There is the need to bring symptomatic contacts for screening.    
- The patients’ family members should know the signs and 

symptoms of TB and should be willing to bring any suspect to 
the health care service providers.   

- The family should also be ready to support the patients in order 
to be regular on the treatment.   

- It should be stressed that the patient is no longer infectious as 
long as he/she complies with the treatment regularly.  

- Explanation on the duration and the nature of the treatment in 

the hospital and at home should be explicit.  

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- Educate the patient on the side effects of drugs which may 

include: skin rash, joint pains, yellow coloration of the 

conjunctiva, poor vision, imbalance, and red coloration of 

urine. Instruct patient to report any of these signs promptly.  

- Sputum examination should be repeated at the end of 2nd, 5th 

and 7th months to determine the effectiveness of the drugs 

taken. It should however be noted that, if the results still 

identify the TB organism, the treatment may change.   

- The health social workers should obtain feedback by allowing 

patients to recall facts, identify possible problems and deal with 

them decisively at the end of each health talk session.    

T B and stigmatization 

Modern American usage of the word ‘stigma’ and stigmatization 

refers to an invisible sign of disapproval which permits insiders to 

draw a line around the outsiders in order to determine the limits of 

inclusion in any group. Smith, (1996) affirmed that, demarcation 

permits insiders to know who is in and  who is out and allows the 

group to maintain its solidarity by demonstrating what happens to 

those who deviate from accepted norms of conduct, hence 

stigmatization is defined as an issue of disempowerment and social 

injustice. Once people identify and label someone’s differences, 

others will assume that, it is just how things are and the person will 

remain stigmatized unless the stigmatizing attribute is undetected.   

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

Tuberculosis patients just like HIV and AIDS patients are liable to 

be stigmatized. The reason is obvious. This is simply because of the 

fear of being infected, an average person tend to run away from, and 

call the infected by name there is also the tendency for people not to 

allow their loved ones to move near the suspected carrier of 

tuberculosis and people living with HIV and AIDS. Premised on the 

aforesaid, Shreatha, Kuwahara, Wice, Deluca and Taylor (2002) 

asserted that, patients’ denial or hesitation to disclose their TB status 

to the family or friends is due to the overwhelming fear of being 

socially ostracized. In the same vein, Rubel and Garro (2002) found 

out that, stigma among Mexican immigrants in Califonia 

significantly influenced patients’ perceptions of their illness and 

caused them to cease contact with family and friends. It was further 

reported that patients blamed the social consequences of 

stigmatization and ostracism for their long delays in seeking care 

and their poor adherence to treatment.  

TB and religion  

Religion, according to Emma (2011) is a cultural system that creates 

powerful and long lasting meaning, by establishing symbols that 

relate humanity to truths and values. Many religions have narratives, 

symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give 

meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They 

tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle 

from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature. Emma further 

said, the development of religion has taken different forms in 

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different cultures. Hundelson (2006) also affirmed that some 

religions place emphasis on belief, while others emphasize practice. 

In the same vein, Carey, Oxtoby, Ngunyen, Huynh, Morgan and 

Jeffery (2007) said, some other religions focus on the subjective 

experience of the religious individuals, while others consider the 

activities of the religious community to be most important. Some 

religions claim to be binding on everyone, while others are intended 

to be practiced only by a closely defined or localized group. In many 

places including Nigeria, religion has been associated with public 

institutions such as education, hospitals, the family, government and 

political hierarchies. In the same vein, Enwereji (1999) earlier found 

out in a study of the Igbo of Nigeria that, TB patients who held 

rigidly to traditional views that TB can spread by eating beef and 

other high-protein foods reportedly delayed seeking treatment and 

often waited until they were malnourished.  

 In Malawi, Brouwer, Boeree,  Kager  and Varkevisser (2008) found 

out that, patients thought that TB resulted from bewitchment or 

breaking sexual taboos. They explained further that patients also 

believed that they could only be treated by traditional healers, while 

TB from other causes could be treated with western medicine. 

Conversely too, Cary, Oxtoby, Nguyen, Huynh, Morgan and Jeffery 

(2007) found out that some groups of patients express strong 

preferences for treatment from bio-medically trained physicians with 

little and or no interest in traditional remedies. In Malawi too, 

Wandwalo and Morkve (2000) found out that, traditional healers 

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

advised TB patients to attend medical clinics when patient presented 

with certain signs and symptoms. They however found no 

connection between knowledge about TB and completion of 

treatment. In the same vein, Menegoni (2006) found out that 

religious movements have increased the acceptance of germ theory 

and of western medicine, reducing the attribution of disease to 

witchcraft. In another interesting development, Newachek and 

Mcmanus (2000) found out that, educational attainment, 

stigmatization and religion influenced parents of uninsured Latino 

children with chronic illness. However, it was said that higher 

educational attainment and religion was associated with significantly 

higher rates of being up to date for DPT immunization in Mexican- 

American children. 

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM   

Tuberculosis is fast becoming a worldwide problem. War, famine, 

homelessness and lack of medical care all contribute to the 

increasing incidence of TB among disadvantaged persons.  Since TB 

is easily transmissible between persons, then the increase in 

tuberculosis in any segment of the population represents a threat to 

all segment of that population. This means that, it is important to 

institute and maintain appropriate public health measures including 

screening, vaccination and treatment. It is important to note that, a 

laxity of public health measures will contribute to an increase in 

incidence of TB infections. Failure of adequate treatment will also 

promote the development of resistant strains of tuberculosis.  The 

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

social workers therefore, should assist those affected by TB. In many 

social work settings, TB social workers are part of the 

interdisciplinary team that works together to increase patients’ 

treatment compliance. TB social workers face the challenge of 

working with staff doctors, nurses, medical assistants and language 

interpreters to help achieve this compliance. Apart from the function 

to link patients with health care, the social workers also face the 

challenges such as advocating, intervening, locating TB patients and 

assisting them with permanent housing options. In the same vein, 

low levels of education, religious believe and stigmatization are said 

to have militated against acceptance of tuberculosis service in most 

parts of the world. Premised on this, this paper therefore tried to find 

out the effects of religion, educational status and stigmatization on 

acceptance of tuberculosis services among tuberculosis patients in 

Ibadan, Oyo state, Nigeria.    

HYPOTHESES    

Ho1: There is no significant relationship between religion and 

acceptance of tuberculosis services in Ibadan.    

Ho2: There is no significant relationship between educational status 

and acceptance of tuberculosis services in Ibadan.   

Ho3: There is no significant relationship between stigmatization and 

acceptance of tuberculosis services in Ibadan 

METHODOLOGY  

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

The study examined the effects of religion, educational status and 

stigmatization on acceptance of tuberculosis services among patients 

in Oyo state government chest hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Descriptive 

research design method was used for the study. The population was 

300 tuberculosis male and female patients receiving treatment at the 

Oyo state government chest hospital, Jericho, Ibadan. The purposive 

sampling method was used to select both the hospital and 

respondents. This method was adopted because the chosen hospital 

is the referral tuberculosis centre for Oyo state which enabled the use 

of 300 respondents for the study. Convenient sampling method was 

also adopted to select new patients on clinic days.  The instrument 

used for the study was an adapted and modified likert type 

questionnaire on effects of religion, educational status and 

stigmatization of tuberculosis patients (ERESTP) on acceptance of 

tuberculosis services in Ibadan. The questionnaire was in two 

sections, A and B.  Section A elicited demographic characteristics 

while section B featured statements on the variables for the study. 

The inputs of experts from social work educators, health social 

workers, health educators and other health care providers were fully 

annexed. Twenty (20) copies of the questionnaire were administered 

to TB patients attending TB clinic at Iseyin primary health centre 

who were not part of the research population. This ensured the 

validity of the instrument and a reliability coefficient of r = 0.71 was 

obtained. 

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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

The questionnaire was personally administered by the researcher 

with the help of six trained research assistants. The completed 

questionnaires were collected on the spot. These were coded and 

analyzed with the use of frequency counts, simple percentages for 

the demographic characteristics while Pearson moment correlation 

was used for section B which elicited statements on effects of 

religion, education and stigmatization on acceptance of tuberculosis 

services. The two hypotheses generated for the study were tested 

using Pearson moment correlation for data analysis at 0.05 alpha 

level.   

FINDINGS  

The findings of the study shows that, 82 (27.3%) of the respondents 

have no formal education, 29 (9.7%) of them have primary school 

education, 139 (46.3) have secondary school education while 50 

(16.7) have tertiary education respectively. With this result, those 

who had secondary school education constituted the highest number 

of respondents used for this study. This might be responsible for the 

prompt responses from the participants. By implication, education 

and level of awareness play an important role in the acceptance of 

tuberculosis services. The hypotheses tested revealed the following 

results: 

Religion and acceptance of TB services 

Hypothesis I: There is no significant relationship between religion 

and acceptance of tuberculosis services among tuberculosis patients 

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in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The result obtained is presented in 

Table 1. 

Table 1: Pearson Correlation showing the significant relationship 
between religion and acceptance of tuberculosis services among 
tuberculosis patients in Ibadan Oyo State, Nigeria.   

 Mean S.D N r P Remark 

Acceptance of 

Tuberculosis 

30.2567 5.8707 300  

 

590** 

 

 

.000 

 

 

Sig 
    

Religion 18.8533 3.2114 300 

r = 590, n = 300, p < 0.05 

Table 1 shows that, there was a significant relationship between 

religion and acceptance of tuberculosis services (r = 590, n = 300, p 

< 0.05). This implies that increase in the level of religiosity of 

tuberculosis patients will lead to an increase in the level of 

acceptance of the tuberculosis services among the tuberculosis 

patients in Ibadan. The null hypothesis is therefore rejected.  

Educational attainment and acceptance of TB services 

Hypothesis 2: There is no significant relationship between education 

attainment and acceptance of tuberculosis services among 

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tuberculosis patients in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The result 

obtained is presented in Table 2. 

Table 2: Pearson Correlation showing the significant relationship 
between level of education and acceptance of tuberculosis services 
among tuberculosis patients in Ibadan, Oyo State. 

 Mean S.D N r P Remark 

Acceptance 

of 

Tuberculosis 

30.2567 5.8707 300  

 

.253** 

 

 

.000 

 

 

Sig 
    

Education 14.8433 3.5610 300 

r = .253, n = 300, p < 0.05 

Table 2 shows that, there was a significant relationship between 

education and acceptances of tuberculosis services (r = .253, n = 

300, p < 0.05). This implies that increase in the level of educational 

attainment of tuberculosis patients will lead to an increase in the 

level of acceptance of the tuberculosis services among the 

tuberculosis patients in Ibadan. The null hypothesis is therefore 

rejected.  

 

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Stigmatization and acceptance of TB services 

Hypothesis 3: There is no significant relationship between 

stigmatization and acceptance of tuberculosis services among 

tuberculosis patients in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The result 

obtained is presented in Table 3. 

Table 3: Pearson Correlation showing the significant relationship 
between stigmatization and acceptance of tuberculosis services 
among tuberculosis patients in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria.  

 Mean S.D N r P Remark 

Acceptance of 

Tuberculosis 

30.2567 5.8707 300  

 

-

.001 

 

 

.992 

 

 

NS 
    

Stigmatization 13.8733 3.9669 300 

r = -.001, n = 300, p > 0.05 

Table 3 shows that, there was no significant relationship between 

Stigmatization and Acceptance of Tuberculosis Services (r = -.001, n 

= 300, p > 0.05). This implies that increase in stigmatization against 

tuberculosis patients will not lead to an increase in the level of 

acceptance of the tuberculosis services among the tuberculosis 

patients in Ibadan. The null hypothesis is therefore not rejected.   

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DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS 

This finding is in line with the findings of Wilkinson, Gcabashe, and 

Lurie (1999) that TB patients visit spell casters, faith leaders, and 

those who use plant for healing among South African patients, 

despite patients’ recognition that TB could be cured. It is also in line 

with the finding of Farmer, Ramilus, & Kim (2001) in rural Haiti, 

that many patients accepted sorcery as a possible cause for TB. Their 

etiological beliefs had no impact on compliance with biomedical 

regimens. Similarly, Rubel (2003) found high rates of adherence 

with biomedical treatment among migrant farm workers, regardless 

of whether they attributed their symptoms to biomedical causes or 

“folk” illnesses. The result also falls in line with Emma (2011) who 

found out that, religion has been associated with public institutions 

such as education and hospitals.  Further, Enwereji (1999) found out 

that Igbo community of Nigeria held rigidly to traditional views and 

therefore delay seeking treatment and often waited until they were 

malnourished. In the same vein, the result is in line with Menegoni 

(2006) who found out that religious movements has increased the 

acceptance of germ theory and of western medicine thereby reducing 

the attribution of diseases to witchcraft. This implies that people’s 

orientation about tuberculosis must change. Religion should not in 

any way deter acceptance of TB services. Health social workers 

must be ready to educate TB patients, their family members and the 

community at large that, religious believes has nothing to do with 

this deadly disease. The counseling and advocacy function of the 

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social workers should be judiciously displayed to bring convincing 

information to TB clients and their family members. 

The result also negates the finding of Wandwalo and Morkve (2000) 

which found no connection between knowledge about TB and 

completion of treatment. Meanwhile, the result support the finding 

of Newacheck & McManus (2009) that higher education attainment 

and religion was associated with significantly higher rates of being 

up-to-date for DPT immunization in Mexican-American children. It 

is imperative to note that, education is a vital tool to eradicating TB 

disease. In the same vein, there is the possibility that, the number of 

educated people that will seek orthodox means of treatment may be 

much higher than that of illiterate or person with little education. 

Therefore, health social workers must bear in mind that, education 

may also serve as a means of enlightening the general public about 

the best treatment available for TB patients.   

In the same vein, the result negates the finding of Rubel and Garro 

(2002) which stated that, fear of stigma significantly influenced 

patients’ perceptions of their illness and caused them to cease 

contact with family and friends. Similarly, the report further said 

that, patients blamed the social consequences of stigmatization and 

ostracism for their long delays in seeking cares and their poor 

adherence to treatment. Meanwhile, the result is in line with the 

findings of Shrestha, Kuwahara, Wice, Deluca and Taylor (2002) 

which found out that, there is strong association between 

stigmatization and TB. Also, fear of family rejection and loss of 

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friends led some patients to report for treatment.  Stigma also results 

in loss of employment, or fear of such, thus delaying care seeking, 

diagnosis, and effective treatment.  At this juncture, the heath social 

workers should remember that TB patients just like any HIV/AIDS 

patients are liable to be stigmatized. It is therefore an herculean task 

for the health social workers to function optimally by educating TB 

patients and their family members that the infected clients could be 

cured and should not be stigmatized.  

CONCLUSSION  

The finding of the study implies that religion does not in any way 

affect acceptance of tuberculosis services. It was concluded that the 

level of education have significant effects on acceptance of 

tuberculosis services. In the same vein, it was concluded that, fear of 

stigma and family rejection were responsible for acceptance of 

tuberculosis services. Succinctly too, it could be affirmed that, the 

treatment of tuberculosis will be widely accepted if the entire 

population are properly educated on the causes and factors 

responsible for TB infection and the necessary line of treatment.  In 

the same vein, it should be borne in mind that, reduced 

stigmatization and improved religiosity could also help in the 

eradication of tuberculosis. The implication of this finding is that, 

the government should be ready to face squarely the social 

responsibility of controlling and eradicating the disease. Also, the 

expected roles of the health social workers could not be over 

emphasized; they have significant roles to play. Such roles include 

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health education, counseling advocacy among others. The general 

populace and indeed, the affected clients should be well informed on 

the prevalence, mode of spread, control and consequences of 

tuberculosis disease. Access to and acceptance of available 

tuberculosis services should be of utmost priority. Diagnosed 

tuberculosis patients, irrespective of their religion or traditional 

background could benefit from tuberculosis services. Furthermore, 

the health social workers should help to identify unidentified cases 

who should be assisted to seek treatment from the public health 

services available within the confines of their living environment. 

Finally, other health care providers should collaborate efforts in 

other to ensure the eradication of tuberculosis from the society. 

RECOMMENDATIONS  

1. Tuberculosis education should form an essential part of 

health education curriculum.  

2. Health social workers, health educators, parents, teachers 

and other health care providers should work collaboratively 

to ensure the adequate dissemination of information aimed 

at controlling and eradicating tuberculosis.  

3.  Government at various levels should double their existing 

efforts on the eradication of tuberculosis through effective 

personnel, financial and material management  

 

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REFERENCES 

Brown, J. A., Boeree, M. J., Kager, P., Varkevisser, C. M. & Harris, 
A. D., 2008.      Traditional healers and pulmonary tuberculosis in 
Malawi. International Journal of Tuberculosis and lung diseases. 
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AJSW, Volume 4, Number 1, 2014                                                    Ojedokun, I. M. 

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