Hubungan Pengetahuan Orang Tua dengan Kejadian Tuberkulosis Paru pada Balita Di Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Pajang Surakarta

Background: Lung tuberculosis in children is a condition that has the potential to cause serious effects, such as growth and developmental disorders, severe complications, and increased morbidity and mortality, especially in young children whose immune systems are not yet fully developed. Parental knowledge plays an important role in early detection and prevention of lung tuberculosis transmission in children. Purpose: This study aims to determine the relationship between parents knowledge of tuberculosis and the incidence of lung tuberculosis in toddlers at the Pajang Surakarta Community Health Center. Methods: This study applied a cross-sectional design on a sample of 84 parents and toddlers who were purposively selected at the Pajang Surakarta Community Health Center. Data were collected through questionnaires to measure parents’ knowledge and examine children's lung tuberculosis status, then analyzed using the Chi-Square test with the help of SPSS software. Results: The results of the study show that most parents have a good level of knowledge about tuberculosis, namely 75 respondents (89.3%), and most children do not have lung tuberculosis, namely 78 children (92.9%). Based on the Chi-Square test, no significant relationship was found between parents’ knowledge of tuberculosis and the incidence of lung tuberculosis (p > 0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of lung tuberculosis in toddlers is more influenced by other risk factors beyond the level of parental knowledge, such as history of contact with lung tuberculosis patients, environmental conditions, and the child's health status. Keywords: Toddlers, Incidence of lung tuberculosis, Parental knowledge.