Differential Characterization of Transmission of Communicable Diseases among Selected Poor and Non-Poor Communities

Pneumonia and tuberculosis have been plaguing the populace of the world for centuries, causing millions of deaths. According to the Philippine Health StatisticsDepartment of Health (2011), pneumonia and pulmonary tuberculosis (PTb) alarmingly remained as the leading communicable respiratory diseases that caused deaths from 1977-2006 in the country.  Locally, there is a noticeable variation in the occurrence and transmission of these communicable diseases between poor and nonpoor community residents in Metro Cebu (Cebu City Health Office, 2011). Although there were several reasons behind this phenomenon, this study is primarily conducted to determine and compare the percentage of the infected population, probable infection, recovery rate and mortality rate from the communicable diseases (PTb and pneumonia) between poor and non-poor communities, to find out the factors that significantly affects the transmission of communicable diseases, to determine the differentiating characteristics between poor and non-poor communities, and to look into factors that can be manipulated/intervened (policy variables) to slow down the transmission rate. The proponent utilized the descriptive-correlational design with 200 respondents from A and B. The researchers used a pilot-tested researcher-made questionnaire and survey form. The Minitab version 13 statistical software was used in data processing. Percentages, discriminant analysis and two-way ANOVA were utilized in processing the data. It was concluded that in PTb, the percentage of the infected population, recovery rate and mortality rate differed between the poor and non-poor communities but in pneumonia, it was only in the percentage of the infected population that the communities differed. Although the percentage of pneumoniainfected population was significantly higher than that is PTb, the recovery rate was higher in patients with pneumonia living in non-poor community. However, there was a higher mortality rate in pneumonia patients as compared to patients with PTB even without taking into consideration their community types. Of the three identified factors, none of those differentiated between the two communities. This means that the health practices, waste disposal and access to health care in both communities, poor and non-poor, were not significantly different. In terms of health and waste disposal practices, they were both good and they could both access the health care services easily. Therefore it was concluded that the two communities did not significantly differ in terms of health practices, waste disposal practices and access to health care, but the poor and non-poor differed in their financial capacity to prevent and manage diseases in their family members.