There is scientific evidence of socio-demographic, behavioral and health risk factors associated with\r\ntuberculosis (TB) infection and TB disease. The primary objective of the study was to examine the\r\ncorrelation of TB risk factors at the state level in the United States (US) to obtain insights specific to the\r\nstate of TB in the US. Secondary data from the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) and US\r\nCensus Bureau on line databases were used. Simple and multiple linear regressions were carried out.\r\nThe model created to represent the TB rate by state included the percent of the population which was\r\nnon-Hispanic white (p < 0.001), the AIDS diagnosis rate/100,000 (p = 0.067) and the percentage of the\r\npopulation which is foreign born. Per capita income, GINI, diabetes rates, smoking rates and alcohol\r\nabuse rates were excluded from the final model. Race/ethnicity acts as a marker for a number of risk\r\nfactors, and the focus of the fight against TB in the US should be on minority communities, those\r\npopulated by the foreign-born and those with high rates of AIDS particularly where a large degree of\r\nincome inequality is present.
Loading....