scholarly journals Disparities in mothers’ healthcare seeking behavior for common childhood morbidities in Ethiopia: based on nationally representative data

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nigatu Regassa Geda ◽  
Cindy Xin Feng ◽  
Susan J. Whiting ◽  
Rein Lepnurm ◽  
Carol J. Henry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Working Mothers ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior ◽  
Nationally Representative

Abstract Background Childhood morbidities such as diarrhea and pneumonia are the leading causes of death in Ethiopia. Appropriate healthcare-seeking behavior of mothers for common childhood illnesses could prevent a significant number of these early deaths; however, little nation-wide research has been conducted in Ethiopia to assess mothers’ healthcare-seeking behavior for their under five children. Methods The study used the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) data. The EDHS is a cross sectional survey conducted in 2016 on a nationally representative sample of 10,641 respondents. The main determinants of care-seeking during diarrhea and acute respiratory infection (ARI) episodes were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses while adjusting for complex survey design. Results Only 43% and 35% of households sought medical attention for their children in episodes of diarrhea and ARI, respectively, during a reference period of 2 weeks before the survey. The odds of seeking care for diarrhea are lower for non-working mothers versus working mothers. The likelihood of seeking care for diarrhea or ARI is higher for literate fathers compared to those with no education. The place of delivery for the child, receiving postnatal checkup and getting at least one immunization in the past determined the likelihood of seeking care for ARI, but not for diarrhea. The odds of seeking care are higher for both diarrhea and ARI among households that are headed by females and where mothers experienced Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) violence. Religion and types of family structure are also significant factors of seeking care for diarrhea episodes, but not for ARI. Conclusions The findings call for more coordinated efforts to ensure equitable access to health care services focusing on mothers living in deprived household environment. Strengthening partnerships with public facilities, private health care practitioners, and community-based organizations in rural areas would help further improve access to the services.

scholarly journals Health care seeking behavior for common childhood morbidities in Ethiopia: The effects of maternal behavior and access to key health services

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Xin Feng ◽  
Nigatu R Geda ◽  
Susan J Whiting ◽  
Rein Lepnurm ◽  
Carol J Henry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Mothers ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior

Abstract Background: Childhood morbidities such as diarrhea and pneumonia are the leading causes of death in Ethiopia. Appropriate healthcare-seeking behavior of mothers for common childhood illnesses could prevent a significant number of these early deaths; however, little nation-wide research has been conducted in Ethiopia to assess mothers’ healthcare-seeking behavior for their children.Method: The study used the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys (EDHS) conducted in 2016 on a nationally representative sample of 10641 children under the age of five. The main determinants of care-seeking during diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) episodes were assessed using multiple logistic regression analyses while adjusting for complex survey design.Results: Only 43% and 35% of households sought medical attention for their children in episodes of diarrhea and ARI, respectively, during a reference period of two weeks before the survey. The odds of seeking care for diarrhea are lower for non-working mothers versus working mothers. The likelihood of seeking care for diarrhea or ARI is higher for fathers who had education versus no education. The place of delivery for the child, receiving postnatal checkup and getting at least one immunization in the past determined the likelihood of seeking care for ARI, but not for diarrhea. The odds of seeking care are higher for both diarrhea and ARI among households that are headed by females and where mothers experienced domestic violence. Religion and types of family structure are also significant factors of seeking care for diarrhea episodes, but not for ARI.Conclusion: Given the high morbidity and mortality rates for children in Ethiopia, a deeper understanding of the health-seeking behaviour of mothers may provide insights for identifying the potential gaps and developing improvement of mothers’ awareness and perception towards childhood problems

scholarly journals Beliefs, Practices and Health Care Seeking Behavior of Parents Regarding Fever in Children

Medicina ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 55 (7) ◽  
pp. 398
Author(s):  
Urbane ◽  
Likopa ◽  
Gardovska ◽  
Pavare
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Family Doctor ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Hospital Environment ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Out Of Hours ◽  
Serious Illness ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Regional Hospitals

Background and objectives: Fever in children is one of the most common reasons for seeking medical attention. Parents often have misconceptions about the effects to fever, which leads to inappropriate use of medication and nonurgent visits to emergency departments (ED). The aim of this study was to clarify the beliefs on the effects and management of fever and to identify healthcare seeking patterns among parents of febrile children in Latvia. Materials and Methods: Parents and legal guardians of children attending ED with febrile illness were included in the study. Participants were recruited in Children’s Clinical University Hospital (CCUH) in Riga, and in six regional hospitals in Latvia. Data on beliefs about fever, administration of antipyretics, healthcare-seeking behavior, and experience in communication with health care workers were collected via questionnaire. Results: In total, 355 participants were enrolled: 199 in CCUH and 156 in regional hospitals; 59.2% of participants considered fever itself as indicative of serious illness and 92.8% believed it could raise the child’s body temperature up to a dangerous level. Antipyretics were usually administered at median temperature of 38.0 °C, and the median temperature believed to be dangerous was 39.7 °C; 56.7% of parents usually contacted a doctor within the first 24 h of the illness. Parents who believed that lower temperatures are dangerous to a child were more likely to contact a doctor earlier and out-of-hours; 60.1% of participants had contacted their family doctor prior their visit to ED. Parental evaluation of satisfaction with the information and reassurance provided by the doctors at the hospital was higher than of that provided by their family doctor; 68.2% of participants felt safer when their febrile children were treated at the hospital. Conclusions: Fever itself was regarded as indicative of serious illness and potentially dangerous to the child’s life. These misconceptions lead to inappropriate administration of antipyretics and early-seeking of medical attention, even out-of-hours. Hospital environment was viewed as safer and more reassuring when dealing with febrile illness in children. More emphasis must be placed on parental education on proper management of fever, especially in primary care

scholarly journals RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF HEALTHCARE SEEKING BEHAVIOR AMONG RURAL DWELLERS IN KOGI STATE

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1067-1073
Author(s):  
Seidu Nuhu A. ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Religious Commitment ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior ◽  
Rural Dwellers

In recent years, efforts have been devoted to enhancing the health care system of Nigeria to provide efficient and reliable health care services to the people. However, insinuations suggest that many people are not utilizing the available healthcare facilities, especially in rural communities. Perhaps, religious attachment is a significant determinant of several behavioral domains. The present study aimed to examine variations in HSB among the rural dwellers of Kogi State, Nigeria, based on religious commitment. Two hundred and sixty-nine Muslim and Christian worshipers chosen from religious centers in different locations of the state participated in the study. The respondents completed a self-report measure of healthcare-seeking behavior and the religious commitment inventory. The result of regression analysis indicated a positive influence of religious commitment on healthcare-seeking behaviors in rural populations. It was concluded that religious commitment should be included in the focus of the healthcare providers in providing all-inclusive care for rural dwellers in Kogi state.

scholarly journals Child Caregiver’s healthcare seeking behavior and its determinants for common childhood illnesses in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a community-based study

2021 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Bellete ◽  
Moges Muluneh Boke ◽  
Melaku Kindie Yenit
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Addis Ababa ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Childhood Illness ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Perceived Severity ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Childhood Illnesses ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior

Abstract Background Appropriate healthcare-seeking behavior and access to the health care facility is key to improving health service utilization. Although the accessibility of comprehensive childhood disease intervention services in Ethiopia has been modified at the community level, the use of such health care services has remained limited. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the healthcare-seeking behavior of common childhood illness and its determinants. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study design was used. A multi-stage sampling method was used to recruit eight hundred and thirty-four study participants. A pre-tested and standardized questionnaire was used to collect data. The collected data were visually checked for incompleteness and entered into the statistical software Epi-info version 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 software for descriptive and bi-variable analysis. To identify variables associated with the healthcare-seeking behavior. Logistic regression analysis was performed. Adjusted odds ratios with a 95% confidence interval were used to see the strength of association, and variables with P-values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results The proportion of health care seeking behavior of care-givers for childhood illness was 69.5% (95% CI, 66.4, 72.4%). The education level of caregiver (AOR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.01–2.60), knowledge of childhood illness (AOR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.46–2.79), cough (AOR: 1.94, 95% CI: 1.39–2.71) and diarrhea (AOR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.46–2.99) as main symptoms of illness and perceived severity of illness (AOR:3.12, 95% CI: 2.22–4.40) were significantly associated with healthcare-seeking behaviors of caregivers. Conclusion Low healthcare-seeking behavior was observed for childhood illnesses. Educational level, knowledge of childhood illness, cough, and diarrhea as primary symptoms of illness, and perceived severity of caregiver illness were significant associated with healthcare-seeking behavior. Therefore, interventions that strengthen the caregiver’s awareness of childhood illness and danger signs need to be considered. Besides, addressing the identified associated variables to healthcare-seeking behavior is critically important to curb the problem.

scholarly journals The Impacts of the Hierarchical Medical System on National Health Insurance on the Resident’s Health Seeking Behavior in Taiwan: A Case Study on the Policy to Reduce Hospital Visits

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (17) ◽  
pp. 3167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Hua Yan ◽  
Chih-Ming Kung ◽  
Horng-Ming Yeh
Keyword(s):  
Health Insurance ◽  
National Health Insurance ◽  
National Health ◽  
Medical System ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Outpatient Visits ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior ◽  
Hierarchical Medical System

Objective: This study investigated the impacts of the hierarchical medical system under the national health insurance program on residents’ healthcare-seeking behavior in Taiwan. Background: Healthcare authorities in Taiwan initiated an allowance reduction for outpatient visits at regional hospitals and higher hierarchical hospitals in 2018. The ultimate goal is to implement a hierarchical medical system to provide residents accessible as well as consistent medical services. Methods: This research was conducted through a questionnaire survey, and data were collected between August and December 2018 from the records of subjects who had recently sought medical attention. A total of 1340 valid questionnaires were returned. Results: A principal finding was that there were significant differences in the knowledge of new policies by age, marital status, annual income, education level, and occupation (p < 0.001). Regarding the effects on healthcare-seeking behavior, there were significant differences from persons aged 40–49 years (p < 0.1), in junior high school (p < 0.05), not aware of the policy (p < 0.001), and awareness of both the hierarchical medical system and the policy to reduce outpatient visits to large hospitals (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The health administration authorities should devote more effort into promoting knowledge of the policy in order to better inform the public about the hierarchical medical system.

scholarly journals Healthcare-Seeking Behavior among Chinese Older Adults: Patterns and Predictive Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2969
Author(s):  
Yanbing Zeng ◽  
Yuanyuan Wan ◽  
Zhipeng Yuan ◽  
Ya Fang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Predictive Factors ◽  
Medical Insurance ◽  
Utilization Rate ◽  
Heckman Selection Model ◽  
Healthcare Seeking ◽  
Inpatient Services ◽  
Medical Institutions ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior

This study aimed to investigate the patterns and predictive factors of healthcare-seeking behavior among older Chinese adults. A sample of 10,914 participants aged ≥60 years from the 2011, 2013 and 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) was included. The bivariate analyses and Heckman selection model was used to identify predictors of healthcare-seeking behavior. Results shows that the utilization rate of outpatient services increased from 21.61% in 2011 to 32.41% in 2015, and that of inpatient services increased from 12.44% to 17.68%. In 2015, 71.93% and 92.18% chose public medical institutions for outpatient and inpatient services, 57.63% and 17.00% chose primary medical institutions. The individuals who were female, were younger, lived in urban, central or western regions, had medical insurance, had poor self-rated health and exhibited activity of daily living (ADL) impairment were more inclined to outpatient and inpatient services. Transportation, medical expenses, the out-of-pocket ratio and the urgency of the disease were associated with provider selection. The universal medical insurance schemes improved health service utilization for the elderly population but had little impact on the choice of medical institutions. The older adults preferred public institutions to private institutions, preferred primary institutions for outpatient care, and higher-level hospitals for hospitalization.

scholarly journals Health Care Seeking Behavior of Obstetric Danger Signs and its Associated Factors Among Pregnant and Delivered Mothers in Kewot District, North Shoa Zone, Amara Region, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Tadesse ◽  
Akine Eshete ◽  
Tadesse Mamo ◽  
Sadat Mohammed
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Care Seeking ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Obstetric Danger Signs ◽  
Danger Signs ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Healthcare Seeking Behavior

Abstract Background: Many mothers died due to preventable causes in developing countries like Ethiopia. so, this study aims to assess the healthcare-seeking behavior of obstetric danger signs among pregnant and delivered mothers in 1 year before the study period in Kewot districts. Method: A community-based descriptive cross-sectional study design supplemented by qualitative technique was conducted from April 20 -April 30, 2019, in the Kewot district. Pregnant and delivered mothers were selected by systematic random sampling technique and interviewed with a response rate of 98.2%, Using purposive sampling 3 key-informants and 5 mothers were selected for in-depth interview of a qualitative study. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.1.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 21 and the logistic regressions model was applied to identify the associated factors. Results: A total of 363 participants were involved in the study. Among participants, 211(58.1 %) at (95% CI; CI: 53.7%-63.1%) were sought appropriate health care action. Women who have ANC follow up (AOR=1.735,95%CI:1.107-2.721), knowledgeable about danger sign, (AOR=2.430,95 % CI:1.360-4.342), the decision for own health care seeking (AOR=2.514,95% CI:1.130-5.501), and women who cannot able to judge graveness of condition (AOR=0.509,95% CI:0.302-0.859) were significantly associated with appropriate healthcare-seeking behavior.Conclusion: Having antenatal care follow up, knowledge about danger signs, inability to judge the graveness of conditions and inability to decide alone for own health care were factors that prevent appropriate health care seeking action. So, there should be health information dissemination about danger signs for every pregnant mother in the catchment area and during their visit to health institutions.

Access to cataract services in selected rural communities in South Africa

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lunic Base Khoza ◽  
Wilfred Njabulo Nunu ◽  
Bumani Solomon Manganye ◽  
Pfungwa Mambanga ◽  
Shonisani Tshivhase ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Access To Health Care ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Outcome Variable ◽  
Patient Records

Abstract Background Despite government efforts to improve access to health care services through the re-engineered Primary Health Care and National Health insurance platform, access still remain a challenge particularly in rural areas. The aim of this study was to analyse secondary data on cataract patients who were attended to in selected hospitals in rural Limpopo of South Africa. Methodology A cross section survey was conducted on 411 patient records from five selected hospitals in Vhembe district. A pre tested structured checklist was used to guide retrieval of variables from patient records. The collected data was entered into excel spreadsheet, cleaned and imported into Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26 for analysis. Proportions of demographic characteristics were presented and these were cross tabulated with the outcome variable “success of operation” using Chi Squared tests. Results Findings point out that majority of patients who attended hospital for eye services were aged 65 years above and females (63%). There was no association between the tested demographic characteristics and the outcome variable. Most patients were diagnosed in the period 2015-2018 (60%). Over 90% of those that were operated had successful operations. Of the remaining 10% that had unsuccessful operations, 30% cited complications as being the reason why these operations were unsuccessful. Conclusions It is evident from the findings that cataract services offered in rural areas have low impact as they are not accessible to the patient. It is critical to have a worker retention strategy to retain experts.

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