African Palliative Care Journal | 25 February 2005
The Effectiveness of Community-Based Health Worker Programmes in Preventing Tuberculosis Among Urban Youth in Cape Town: An African Perspective
S, i, b, u, s, i, s, o, M, k, h, i, z, e, ,, N, o, m, o, n, d, e, M, n, g, e, n, i
Abstract
Urban youth in Cape Town, South Africa face high risk of tuberculosis (TB), influenced by socio-economic factors and inadequate access to healthcare services. A mixed-methods approach combining quantitative survey data with qualitative interviews and focus groups to assess programme implementation and participant perceptions. Community workers facilitated early diagnosis through regular health check-ups, resulting in a 20% reduction in TB incidence among surveyed youth over two years (95% CI: 15-24%). The community-based health worker programmes significantly improved TB prevention outcomes but require further evaluation of long-term efficacy and sustainability. Expand programme reach to all urban youth, integrate digital platforms for remote monitoring, and conduct longitudinal studies to monitor sustained improvements in TB incidence rates. Tuberculosis, Urban Youth, Community Health Workers, Prevention Programmes, Cape Town Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p<em>i)=\beta</em>0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.