Barriers to the Acceptance of Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment: A Multicenter Cross-sectional Study in China.

Objective: We aimed to understand the willingness and barriers to the acceptance of tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment (TPT) among people with latent TB infection (LTBI) in China.

Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from May 18, 2023 to December 31, 2023 across 10 counties in China. According to a national technical guide, we included healthcare workers, students, teachers, and others occupations aged 15-65 years as our research participants.

Results: Overall, 17.0% (183/1,077) of participants accepted TPT. There were statistically significant differences in the acceptance rate of TPT among different sexes, ages, educational levels, and occupations ( < 0.05). The main barriers to TPT acceptance were misconceptions that it had uncertain effects on prevention (57.8%, 517/894), and concerns about side effects (32.7%, 292/894).

Conclusion: An enhanced and comprehensive understanding of LTBI and TPT among people with LTBI is vital to further expand TPT in China. Moreover, targeted policies need to be developed to address barriers faced by different groups of people.