Short Comprehensive Multimodal Behavioural Intervention for Tuberculosis—Can It Be Effectively Incorporated in Tribal Health?

Background Tuberculosis management in tribal areas is a major challenge to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program in India. There is need for culturally appropriate interventions for bridging the gaps existing in the current system. There is paucity of research in this vulnerable group; hence, a study was undertaken to determine the effect of a Short Comprehensive Multimodal Behavioural Intervention in tribal colonies of Kerala. Methods The study used before-after design to assess the effectiveness of a Short Comprehensive Multimodal Behavioural Intervention for tuberculosis knowledge and voluntary reporting among residents of tribal colonies. The intervention included individual, small group, and large group education, with verbal, printed, and performance methods. Public–private partnership with community participation was emphasized to encourage the residents to approach public health system for managing tuberculosis. Results Ten tribal colonies from two districts were included with 104 participants. There was significant improvement in the proportion of participants with knowledge regarding different aspects of tuberculosis such as aetiology, symptoms, transmission, and treatment. The overall knowledge score had a significant improvement [median (range) 3.0 (0–9) to 7.0 (0–11), p