Conference Abstract | Volume 9 (ConfPro8): Abstract 65 | Published: 09 Oct 2026
Mavis Pearl Kwabla1,&, Eleazer Junior Addo1,2, Nadia Martey3,4, Rhoda Yayra Doku3,5, Stephany Nyame3,6, Eyram Kuma Hanu1,7, Frank Baiden1
1Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, Hohoe, Ghana, 2Jasikan Municipal Health Directorate, Jasikan, Ghana, 3Department of Family and Community Health, Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, Ghana, Hohoe, Ghana, 4Ho Municipal Health Directorate, Ho, Ghana, 5Hohoe Municipal Health Directorate, Hohoe, Ghana, 6Kpando Municipal Health Directorate, Kpando, Ghana, 7Biakoye District Health Directorate, Biakoye, Ghana
&Corresponding author: Mavis Pearl Kwabla, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Email: mkwabla@uhas.edu.gh, ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1435-0795
Received: 11 Mar 2026, Accepted: 30 Aug 2026, Published: 09 Oct 2026
Domain: Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Keywords: Tuberculosis, malnutrition, BMI, nutritional status, TB patients, Ghana
©Mavis Pearl Kwabla et al. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health (ISSN: 2664-2824). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Cite this article: Mavis Pearl Kwabla et al., Nutritional status of tuberculosis patients and its associated factors in four districts in Ghana. Journal of Interventional Epidemiology and Public Health. 2026;9(ConfPro8):65. https://doi.org/10.37432/JIEPH-CONFPRO8-0065
Malnutrition is a significant concern in tuberculosis (TB) patients, with a bidirectional relationship between the two conditions. While malnutrition increases the risk of developing active TB by 6 to 10 times, TB also leads to malnutrition. TB patients who are malnourished have delayed recovery and higher mortality rates compared to well-nourished individuals. Hence, WHO recommends addressing malnutrition in TB management to improve treatment outcomes and reduce mortality rates. This study assessed the nutritional status of pulmonary TB patients and its associated factors in four districts in Ghana.
We reviewed records of TB patients registered between January 2021 and August 2024 from four districts and used their contact information to trace them for interviews using a structured questionnaire. We conducted face-to-face and telephone interviews. We extracted data on weight and height from available health and civic records to compute body mass index (BMI). Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between variables.
Of 607 TB patients surveyed, 253 (41.7%) were aged 49+, 387 (63.8%) were males, and 309 (50.9%) were low-income earners. The study found 206 (33.9%) patients to be underweight; 304 (50.1%) were malnourished based on BMI indices, while 272 (44.8 %) and 310 (51.1%) experienced weight loss and food insecurity, respectively. A total of 281 (46.3%) indicated having consumed balanced diets, while 228 (37.6%) had received a moderate level of support during treatment. One-third of patients, 183 (33.8%), had good knowledge of nutrition. Significant predictors of malnutrition included residence in Jasikan (aOR=4.19, p<0.001) or Kpando (aOR=3.72, p<0.001), male gender (aOR=2.02, p=0.003), being unemployed (aOR=2.4, p=0.02), having had tertiary education aOR=0.4, p=0.02), and limited healthcare access (aOR=0.4, p=0.003).
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