DISABILITY OF PATIENTS WITH LEPROSY IN TEGAL REGENCY (INDONESIA) AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOR

Tegal Regency in Central Java Province, Indonesia, is a leprosy endemic area. In 2021, the leprosy prevalence was 0.82 per 10,000 population. The total number of new cases was 133, of whom 11% had Grade 2 disability (G2D). The high number with G2D indicates substantial case detection delay (CDD). This delay can be caused by personal, societal and health service-related factors. The aim of this study was to describe the association of disability grade with health-seeking behavior. We employed a cross-sectional research design involving 126 patients with leprosy selected by random sampling among 171 patients with leprosy registered from the 4th quarter of 2020 until the 1st quarter of 2022. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire translated from an international standardized questionnaire (ie, CDD questionnaire) through interviews with leprosy patients. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. We found nearly half (46.8%) of the patients aged 35-50 years, and almost two-thirds were male. Of all, 75.4% had completed primary or secondary education. At diagnosis, more than half had no disability at all, and 10.3% had G2D. Nearly half (45.2%) had used 'self-medication' and did not seek appropriate health care services before being diagnosed with leprosy. There was a statistically significant association between health-seeking behavior and the disability grade at diagnosis (p=0.01). In summary, disability caused by leprosy constitutes a significant public health burden in Tegal Regency, which could be lowered through supporting appropriate health seeking behavior.

Automated summary

The study found a significant delay in case detection and a relationship between disability grade and health-seeking behavior among leprosy patients in Tegal Regency. Nearly half of the patients used self-medication and did not seek appropriate healthcare before being diagnosed with leprosy. These findings suggest that supporting appropriate health-seeking behavior could help reduce the burden of disability caused by leprosy.