Improving Tuberculosis Screening in Rural Households with TB Using Cash Incentives Studying Undernutrition and TB Risk in Tanzania

What this Trial Is About

Tuberculosis TB remains a significant public health challenge in Tanzania, with many cases going undiagnosed and compounded by nutritional and financial barriers. This study aims to evaluate how adding a conditional cash transfer to the current facility-based TB screening approach affects TB screening rates among household contacts of people diagnosed with TB. The study will also assess the prevalence of undernutrition among these contacts and how undernutrition severity impacts the progression to active TB disease. The study is a prospective, interventional cohort design enrolling 360 people diagnosed with TB and their households over a 2-year period. It includes two phases a 12-month lead-in period observing standard facility-based household TB screening, followed by a phase offering conditional cash transfers to households once all household contacts complete TB screening. Households will be visited 2 months after enrollment to complete TB screening and anthropometric measurements, then followed for 2 years to monitor for new TB cases. Participants will be involved in TB screening visits, nutritional assessments, and follow-up monitoring over 2 years. Researchers will measure the completion of TB screening among household contacts within 2 months and track the development of active TB disease in contacts over a year. The study also evaluates the cost-effectiveness of conditional cash transfers in improving screening. Data collection includes demographic, nutritional, and socioeconomic factors to prioritize prevention efforts for those at highest risk.

Tuberculosis in Rural and Malnourished Populations