Tuberculosis-associated Stigma in India: A Gender-based Study of Prevalence and Predictors using NFHS-5 (2019–2021)

Abstract Stigma associated with tuberculosis among the general population can lead to fear and encourage discrimination. It is an obstacle to the elimination of tuberculosis from India. The study aimed at estimating the gender-based prevalence of tuberculosis-associated stigma and its predictors in India. The study used unit level data on men and women from the nationally representative survey National Family Health Survey (NFHS 5), 2019–2021. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis were done. It was found that tuberculosis-associated stigma is present in 22.9% of men and 15.6% of women. Among both men and women, tuberculosis-associated stigma was significantly higher among illiterate individuals (men: OR = 1.33; women: OR = 1.13), those belonging to higher wealth status (men: OR = 1.20; women: OR = 1.25), and those with comprehensive knowledge of the mode of transmission of this disease (men: OR = 1.24; women: OR = 1.32). In contrast, knowledge that tuberculosis is curable was associated with lower odds of stigma (men: OR = 0.59; women: OR = 0.83). It is recommended that health awareness activities on tuberculosis should emphasize comprehensive knowledge of disease transmission along with its curability.