Age differences in factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis: a cross-sectional study of Indonesian Basic Health Research (RISKESDAS) 2018

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence across age groups and age disparities in factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in Indonesia through a large-scale sample study. Methods: The data source was the National Basic Health Survey 2018. We recruited 715,394 individuals aged 16 years and older in this study. Rao-Scott Chi-square analyses and binary logistic regressions were employed to investigate the association of PTB with a significance threshold of 5. Age-group disparities in factors significantly associated with PTB in all age groups were identified by interaction term analysis. Results: In youth, middle-aged, and elderly groups, the prevalence of PTB was 3.5°, 6.8°, and 9.6°, respectively. Logistic regressions with interaction term analysis found age differences in the association between PTB and former smokers (p for interaction = 0.022), diabetes (p for interaction = 0.0001), and heart disease (p for interaction = 0.005). Moreover, our findings showed age-related differences in the effect of sex, family size, and unemployment status on PTB. Males exhibited a greater PTB risk than females only among the middle-aged group (OR: 2.06; 95 CI: 1.48-2.86) and older adults (OR: 1.89; 95 CI: 1.38â-2.62). Larger families (OR: 1.33; 95 CI: 1.12-1.59) and unemployed individuals (OR: 1.49; 95 CI: 1.21-1.83) were significantly associated with PTB only among middle-aged adults. Conclusion: Comprehending age-specific factors for PTB is crucial for developing effective public health strategies. Early detection and advanced health education for PTB should be targeted at elderly men and middle-aged men who are jobless or have a large family. © 2025 Society for Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Diseases.