One third of the world's population is infected with the tuberculosis (TB) bacillus, and the disease accounts for more than $700 million annual U.S. health care expenditures. Only about 3% of that amount is spent on preventive therapy. The major problem with preventive therapy is lack of adherence among high-risk groups, such as Latino immigrants. To improve adherence, public health professionals need a better understanding of the meaning of tuberculosis infection to Latino immigrants. In this study, Kleinman's framework for eliciting an explanatory model was used in interviews with 65 Latino immigrants enrolled in preventive therapy in a county health department. The focus of the interview was their beliefs concerning the cause of their infection, their fears about it, and the results they hoped to achieve in preventive therapy. Among other findings, the study indicated that most of the immigrants did not know the cause of their infection.

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