Brown University

Assessing the Impact of Travel Time to the Hospital on Loss to Follow-Up Among Adolescents with Tuberculosis

Description

Abstract:
This retrospective study evaluated whether public-transit travel time was associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) among 470 adolescents with tuberculosis treated at Hospital General de Niños Pedro de Elizalde in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2014–2023). Residential addresses were geocoded and standardized using Google Maps to estimate travel time, and multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, symptom count, and disease severity. Mean transit time did not differ between patients who completed treatment and those lost to follow-up (58.4 vs. 57.3 minutes, p=0.67), and was not associated with LTFU (aOR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99–1.01). Older age, female sex, and non-severe pulmonary TB were associated with higher odds of LTFU, while each additional symptom reduced those odds. These findings suggest that demographic and clinical characteristics, rather than geographic access, play a greater role in treatment adherence among adolescents with TB.
Notes:
Scholarly concentration: Non-Scholarly Concentrator

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Citation

Castillo Espinal, Jessiel, Pralea, Alex, Macha Marin, Edith, et al., "Assessing the Impact of Travel Time to the Hospital on Loss to Follow-Up Among Adolescents with Tuberculosis" (2025). Warren Alpert Medical School Academic Symposium. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.26300/56k7-sa04

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Collection:

  • Warren Alpert Medical School Academic Symposium

    The Warren Alpert Medical School Academic Symposium is an annual event at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University that provides Year II medical students a venue to present their summer research in a poster format. Participation in the Symposium …
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