Tuberculosis-related knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported preventive practices among medical students at the University of Khartoum: A cross-sectional educational survey.
PloS one·
- DOI
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0357003
- PMID
- 42640897
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Cross-sectional study
- Publisher
- Publisher unavailable
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings identify specific TB knowledge gaps among future clinicians in a high-burden setting and may inform curricular reinforcement of TB-related knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study assessed tuberculosis-related knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported preventive practices (KAP) among undergraduate medical students at the University of Khartoum and examined sociodemographic predictors of these domains.
Study design
A cross-sectional survey using a proportionally allocated stratified convenience sample and a validated self-administered questionnaire, with Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses (SPSS version 29).
Population and setting
311 undergraduate medical students in years 3–6 at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, Sudan, surveyed between August and October 2024, with a reported response rate of 91.5%.
Main findings
Mean knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practice scores were 6.43/10 (64.3%), 27.90/35, and 19.55/25, respectively. Knowledge was higher for TB etiology (94.9%) and airborne transmission (91.3%) and lower for latent TB non-infectiousness (29.3%) and TST interpretation (49.2%). Only 28.3% reported consistently wearing a face mask with suspected or confirmed TB patients. Correlations were weak between knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.179) and not significant between knowledge and practice (r = 0.090), while attitudes and practices were moderately correlated (r = 0.437).
Public-health relevance
The findings identify specific TB knowledge gaps among future clinicians in a high-burden setting and may inform curricular reinforcement of TB-related knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices.
Important limitations
The authors explicitly note that the convenience-sampling design and single-institution setting mean results represent an educational snapshot rather than being generalizable to all Sudanese medical students. Reliance on self-reported practices is also implied by the study design.
GIDS interpretation
The article is discoverable as a Sudan-based educational KAP study on tuberculosis among medical students and could contextualize future surveys of TB-related training gaps; it does not establish a live surveillance signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 5 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.