Nutritional Assessment and Associated Emergent Risk Factors of Newly Diagnosed Tuberculosis Patients in Windhoek, Namibia

ABSTRACT: TB remains a significant public health challenge globally, particularly in developing countries. In Namibia, the incidence of TB is notably high, and is often exacerbated by malnutrition and other socio-economic factors. Namibia is ranked 10th highest in the world due to the incidence rate of 457 per 1000 population, with the population of about 3million, they shared a percentage of the global TB burden. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of nutritional status and risk factors militating against the health/wellbeing of newly diagnosed TB patients in Windhoek, Namibia. This study was designed as a cross-sectional study, and non-probability, convenient sampling techniques were used. The study adopted a dynamic uncontrolled process, assessing the nutritional intake of TB patients and not testing an intervention. No sample size calculations were performed. To get the Body Mass Index (MBI) of participants, height and weight were measured at Direct Observed Treatment (DOT) clinics. The BMI was measured and taken during the last four months of the treatment regime, taking measurements once a month as the participants were coming back for follow-up treatment. In total, 111 respondents participated in the study. Their nutritional status was measured by BMI. Males formed a significant majority, representing 67.6% and females represented 32.4%. The study revealed that 38.7% patients were malnourished. Malnutrition was more in males than females (27%). The result shows significant association with age group (0.018), marital status (0), educational (0.0252), and employment status (0.0106) with nutritional status. The data analysis and findings from this study highlight significant insights into the socio-economic and nutritional challenges faced by tuberculosis (TB) patients in Windhoek, Namibia. Moreover, the analysis identifies a strong correlation between Body Mass Index (BMI) and TB status, emphasizing that lower BMI is associated with higher TB risk. Factors such as monthly income emerged as significant predictors of nutritional status, suggesting that economic stability was crucial for improving health outcomes among TB patients. Keywords: TB, Body Mass Index (BMI), Windhoek, Namibia.