Abstract

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that affects approximately 10 million people annually and ranks among the top ten causes of death worldwide. Primary healthcare workers (PHCWs) are essential to TB control, as they are involved in the initial patient contact, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention efforts. However, they face elevated occupational risk for TB infection due to frequent exposure to infectious patients.
Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and risk perception of tuberculosis among primary healthcare workers in the Sokoto metropolis, Sokoto State, Nigeria.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in April 2022. It involved 206 primary healthcare workers selected via multistage sampling in selected primary healthcare facilities across three Sokoto Metropolitan Local Government Areas (LGAs). Data were collected using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS version 25. Associations between sociodemographic factors, professional cadre, attendance at previous TB training, and TB knowledge were analyzed using chi-square tests. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Respondents’ mean age was 31.3 ± 8.9 years, with 43.2% aged 21–29 years. Only 14.1% demonstrated good TB knowledge, while 92.2% perceived themselves at risk of contracting TB.Gender and attendance at previous TB training were the factors significantly associated with TB knowledge (p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Despite high risk perception, primary healthcare workers in Sokoto exhibited poor knowledge of tuberculosis. The Sokoto state government should implement ongoing TB training and refresher programs for the healthcare workers in the state.

Key words: Knowledge, Risk perception, Tuberculosis, Primary healthcare workers, Sokoto metropolis