OBJECTIVE:
to identify alternative healthcare practices applied by families of children and adolescents with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) having Isoniazid Preventive Therapy (IPT) in the Rocinha neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro city, Brazil.
METHODS:
this was a descriptive study using a household survey with parents of children and adolescents aged under 11 years undergoing IPT at a municipal health center. The data was collected in 2011 using a questionnaire.
RESULTS:
85 LTBI cases were having IPT. Adjuvant care practices in addition to IPT were employed by 52 families. In 35/52 cases families used herbs and special foods. In 17/52 cases there were changes in lifestyle habits, such as: avoiding drizzle, rain and physical exertion.
CONCLUSION:
Unnecessary adjuvant IPT practices used by families of children and adolescents with LTBI were identified.
Tuberculosis; Latent Tuberculosis; Medicinal Plants; Child; Descriptive Epidemiology
