OBJECTIVETo investigate the influencing factors on tuberculosis (TB) in four provinces in the eastern and central parts of China.

METHODSFrom Nov. 2009 to Feb. 2011, three population-based field surveys were conducted among the resident population in several townships/streets in Guangdong, Hunan and Jiangsu provinces and Shanghai municipality to collect TB-related information. 474 sputum smear positive TB patients and 1896 controls were randomly selected from the population under study and each case was matched by province, age and sex using a frequency matching method. Single-variable and multiple non-conditional logistic regression modeling were applied for data analysis, and odds ratios (ORs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated.

RESULTSData from Single-variable analysis showed that TB history, history of exposure to TB, DM history, immigrant population and per-capita living space were risk factors for TB, and high level of education was protective factors.

RESULTSfrom multiple logistic regression showed that the risk factors of TB would include the following items: history of having had TB (OR = 52.356, 95%CI: 18.956 - 144.607), living space over 50 m(2)per-capita (OR = 8.742, 95%CI: 1.107 - 69.064), history of exposure to TB (OR = 6.083, 95%CI: 2.336 - 15.839) and being immigrants (OR = 3.306, 95%CI: 1.907 - 5.734), while having had high degree of education as the protective factor of TB (OR = 0.284, 95%CI: 0.110 - 0.733).

CONCLUSIONControl programs targeting those ever having TB patients and contacts to TB patients as well as immigrants should be strengthened.