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Table 2 Patients’ and health system’s delays of new PTB patients by background characterstics, West Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia

From: Patients’ and health system’s delays in the diagnosis and treatment of new pulmonary tuberculosis patients in West Gojjam Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Variables

N

Patients’ delay (days)

Health system’s delay (days)

Median

IQR

P value

Median

IQR

P value

Age (years)

   

< 0.001*

  

0.55

 15–24

197

15.0

7–29

 

20.0

5–69

 

 25–44

291

17.0

7–31

 

21.0

5–81

 

  ≥ 45

218

22.0

12–51

 

29.0

4–114

 

Sex

   

0.33

  

0.95

 Male

423

17.0

8–30

 

22.0

4–95

 

 Female

283

19.0

8–45

 

23.0

4–81

 

Place of residence

   

0.001*

  

0.32

 Urban

271

15.0

7–30

 

19

4–76

 

 Rural

435

20.0

9–45

 

25

4–100

 

Educational level

   

< 0.001*

  

0.37

 Not literate

411

21.0

12–55

 

26.0

4–109

 

 Literate

295

15.0

7–25

 

20.0

5–61

 

Marital status

   

0.03*

  

0.58

 Married

386

20.0

10–35

 

22.0

4–95

 

 Single

205

15.0

7–30

 

20.0

5–69

 

 Divorced

73

21.0

8–60

 

32.0

5–124

 

 Widowed

42

21.0

11–56

 

25.0

7–89

 

Occupation

   

0.01*

  

0.71

 Civil servant

41

7.0

5–15

 

24

6–49

 

 Housewife

39

21.0

7–60

 

7

3–27

 

 Student

76

15.0

7–30

 

19

4–58

 

 Farmer

327

20.0

9–40

 

26

4–113

 

 Day laborer

82

20.0

14–31

 

24

4–77

 

 Merchant

47

15.0

10–22

 

14

4–89

 

 Others

94

16.0

7–36

 

27

7–94

 

Monthly family income (Birr) a

   

0.35

  

0.22*

 1–400

109

20.0

11–31

 

8.0

3–56

 

 401–800

84

19.0

11–62

 

22.0

5–78

 

  ≥ 801

264

18.0

7–31

 

27.0

4–113

 

 No regular income

249

16.0

7–36

 

24.0

4–73

 

HIV sero-status

   

0.68

  

0.31

 Positive

82

20.0

11–45

 

22.0

5–86

 

 Negative

616

18.0

8–33

 

22.0

4–88

 

 Not known

8

16.0

7–29

 

74.0

8–320

 

Time travelled to the nearest health facility

   

0.08

  

0.96

  ≤ 2 h

671

17.0

8–31

 

23

4–88

 

  > 2 h

35

23.0

14–70

 

15

4–106

 

Perceived to be stigmatized

   

0.47

  

0.70

 Yes

88

18.0

8–31

 

19.0

4–87

 

 No

618

19.5

10–39

 

23.0

4–88

 

knowledge about TB

   

< 0.001*

  

0.14

 Good

351

15.0

7–25

 

18.0

5–61

 

 Poor

355

23.0

14–60

 

28.0

4–113

 

Types of PTB

   

0.23

  

< 0.001*

 Smear-positive PTB

334

16.0

8–31

 

15

3–76

 

 Smear-negative PTB

372

19.0

7–39

 

27

7–95

 

First health care seeking action

   

< 0.001*

  

0.12

 Visited formal health providers

433

14

7–21

 

24

5–93

 

 Visited non -formal health providers

223

60

24–116

 

15

4–86

 

 Self-treatment using various remedies at home

50

21.5

15–60

 

27

4–85

 

Type of formal health provider first visited

   

0.81

  

0.02*

 Private health facilities

280

20

8–31

 

15

4–70

 

 Public health centers

342

15

7–37

 

31

5–97

 

 Public hospitals

71

18

10–41

 

15

4–86

 

 Health posts

13

15

8–30

 

29

10–203

 
  1. Note: using non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test to compare three or more groups and Mann–Whitney test to compare two groups * statistically significant. IQR inter quartile range, PTB pulmonary tuberculosis, HIV human immunodeficiency virus