EFFECTIVENESS OF HOME AIR SANITATION INTERVENTIONS IN CONTROLLING PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN THE WORKING AREA OF THE TALANG PANGERAN COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER OGAN ILIR REGENCY

Abstract

All Tuberculosis (TB) remains a critical public health challenge, with household environmental conditions, particularly poor air sanitation, significantly contributing to transmission. Previous epidemiological findings in the Talang Pangeran Community Health Center area identified temperature (OR=5.073) and humidity (OR=3.450) as dominant and significant risk factors for TB incidence. This study aimed to analyze the effectiveness of a program management intervention focused on home air sanitation improvements in controlling pulmonary TB, specifically by mitigating these identified temperature and humidity risk factors. This quasi-experimental implementation study focused on executing a healthy home improvement program. The management interventions included intensive health education on ventilation importance, facilitation for installing additional air vents/ventilation, and promotion of greening (planting) around the homes of TB cases and at-risk households. Effectiveness was quantitatively measured by comparing indoor temperature, relative humidity (RH), and lighting parameters before and after a 6-month intervention period, alongside monitoring new pulmonary TB case trends. Results showed significant improvements in physical home conditions: the average temperature decreased from an unsatisfactory baseline of 30.5°C to 28.4°C (2.1°C reduction), achieving satisfactory conditions for 80% of houses. Concurrently, average RH decreased by 15% from an unsatisfactory baseline of 78% to 63%, meeting the optimal range (40%-70%) for 92% of houses. Statistically, the intervention successfully reduced the proportion of homes with unhealthy temperature and humidity (p-value < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that targeted air sanitation interventions are an effective strategy for creating supportive micro-environments, thereby strengthening pulmonary TB control programs at the community level.