Age differences in factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis: a cross-sectional study of Indonesian Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS) 2018

Objectives To investigate the prevalence across age groups and age disparities in factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Indonesia through a large-scale sample study. Methods The data source was the National Basic Health Survey 2018. We recruited 715,394 individuals aged 16 years and older in this study. Rao-Scott Chi-square analyses and binary logistic regressions were employed to investigate the association of PTB with a significance threshold of 5%. Age-group disparities in factors significantly associated with PTB in all age groups were identified by interaction term analysis. Results In youth, middle-aged, and elderly groups, the prevalence of PTB was 3.5‰, 6.8‰, and 9.6‰, respectively. Logistic regressions with interaction term analysis found age differences in the association between PTB and former smokers ( p for interaction = 0.022), diabetes ( p for interaction = 0.0001), and heart disease ( p for interaction = 0.005). Moreover, our findings showed age-related differences in the effect of sex, family size, and unemployment status on PTB. Males exhibited a greater PTB risk than females only among the middle-aged group (OR: 2.06; 95% CI: 1.48-2.86) and older adults (OR: 1.89; 95% CI: 1.38-2.62). Larger families (OR: 1.33; 95% CI: 1.12-1.59) and unemployed individuals (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.21-1.83) were significantly associated with PTB only among middle-aged adults. Conclusion Comprehending age-specific factors for PTB is crucial for developing effective public health strategies. Early detection and advanced health education for PTB should be targeted at elderly men and middle-aged men who are jobless or have a large family.