Health-seeking behaviour and practices among immigrant retail traders in an urban setting in North-Western Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elijah Yendaw ◽  
Anthony Mwinilanaa Tampah-Naah
Keyword(s):  
Health Facility ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type

Purpose This study aims to investigate the health-care-seeking behaviour and practices of West African migrants who reside and operate in Wa, Ghana, as itinerant retailers. Design/methodology/approach The study was cross-sectional and used the quantitative research approach. The analysis was done on a target population comprising 122 itinerant immigrant retail traders in Wa, Ghana. Fisher’s exact test and logistic regression were used to analyse the data. Findings Malaria was the commonest disease among them. Five in ten of the migrants preferred to report malaria episodes to a private health facility than to a government facility. Significant associations were identified between four dimensions (health facility, self-medication, home remedy and consult others) of health-seeking behaviour, and some background characteristics. The main reason why migrants prefer government health facilities was because of their better health personnel. They self-medicated because of easy accessibility of over-the-counter medicine shops. Also, when ill, the migrants usually consulted family members who would be in a position to take them home when their ailment worsens. Research limitations/implications Snowball sampling was used to select the respondents which could potentially lead to a sample that is not fully representative of the population in general. Originality/value Studies concerning migration and health in Ghana have been focused on internal migrants. Yet, minority immigrant traders equally encounter adverse health conditions but limited studies have been conducted to espouse their health-seeking behaviour. This study imperatively contributes to the subject matter that has limited literature in the country.

The influence of sociodemographic behavioural variables on health-seeking behaviour and the utilisation of public and private hospitals in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Awinaba Amoah Adongo ◽  
Jonathan Mensah Dapaah ◽  
Francess Dufie Azumah ◽  
John Onzaberigu Nachinaab
Keyword(s):  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Health Facilities ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Private Hospitals ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public And Private Hospitals

PurposeSeveral studies have described health-seeking behaviour within the context of various diseases, the health status and age group. However, knowledge on patient health-seeking behaviour in the use of public and private hospitals and socio-demographic characteristics in developing countries is still scarce. This paper examines the influence of socio-demographic behavioural variables on health-seeking behaviour and the use of public and private health facilities in Ghana.Design/methodology/approachQuantitative research approach uses the modified SERVQUAL dimension as a data collection tool. Descriptive statistics with Pearson's chi-square test were conducted to determine the relationship between socio-demographic behavioural variables and health-seeking behaviour of patients using public and private hospitals.FindingsThe results showed that there is a significant relationship between the socio-demographic characteristics (sex, marital status, education, level of income) and the health-seeking behaviour of patients in regard to the utilisation of public and private health facilities (p < 0.000).Originality/valueThere is a significant relationship between patients' socio-demographic variables and their choice and utilisation of public and private healthcare services. This information is of value to policy makers so that they have an idea on the socio-demographic behavioural variables that influence patients' health-seeking behaviour.

scholarly journals A study on the health seeking behaviour among the geriatric population in the urban field practice area of JJM Medical College Davangere

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 2271
Author(s):  
Ruchi Dhar ◽  
G. S. Vidya
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Health Care Facility ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Formal Schooling ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Geriatric Population ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: According to census 2011 the elderly population aged 60 years and above account for 8% of total population and is projected to rise to 12.4% by the year 2026. Health status is an important factor that has a significant impact on quality of life. The elderly is one of the most vulnerable and high risk groups in terms of health status and their health seeking behaviour is crucial in any society.Methods: A community based cross sectional study was carried out for a period of 1 year for which a predesigned and semi-structured questionnaire was used and a total of 440 elderly were interviewed by house to house survey.Results: In our study it was found that the majority of the subjects (36.8%) were in the age group of 60-64 years, 52.5% were illiterate, 51.1% were unemployed and 49% belonged to class IV socio economic status. Any degree of formal schooling was found to be associated with better health seeking behavior. Majority of the subjects (58%) visited a government health facility in case of an illness and the main reason that was stated for not visiting a health facility was that they suffered from mild discomfort (44.4%) and did not consider it necessary to visit a health facility.Conclusions: It was observed that more number of males visited a health care facility in case of an illness, 241 (92.7%) whereas only 154 (85.6%) females visited a health facility in case of an illness. This difference was found to be statistically significant.

scholarly journals Care-Seeking Dynamics among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Selected Rural Settings in Kenya

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Karinja ◽  
Goonaseelan Pillai ◽  
Raymond Schlienger ◽  
Marcel Tanner ◽  
Bernhards Ogutu
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Communicable Diseases ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Non Communicable Diseases ◽  
Patients With Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are two common non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that often coexist in patients. However, health-seeking behaviour in patients with diabetes mellitus or hypertension has not been extensively studied especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to examine care-seeking dynamics among participants diagnosed with diabetes and/or hypertension across nine counties in rural Kenya. We conducted a cross-sectional study among adults diagnosed with diabetes and/or hypertension through face-to-face interviews. Of the 1100 participants, 69.9% had hypertension, 15.5% diabetes while 14.7% had both. The mean age of the respondents was 64 years. The majority of the respondents (86%) were on allopathic treatment. Hospital admission, having a good self-rated health status and having social support for illness, were positively associated with appropriate health-seeking behaviour while use of alcohol and pharmacy or chemist as source of treatment were negatively associated with appropriate health-seeking behaviour. Our study found a high prevalence of appropriate health-seeking behaviour among respondents with the majority obtaining care from government facilities. The results are evidence that improving public health care services can promote appropriate health-seeking behaviour for non-communicable diseases and thus improve health outcomes.

scholarly journals HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR AMONG ADULT ORANG ASLI (INDIGENOUS PEOPLES) FROM RURAL NEGERI SEMBILAN, MALAYSIA: A MIXED-METHODS STUDY

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 348-358
Author(s):  
Muslimah Ithnin ◽  
Nadeeya’Ayn Umaisara Mohamad Nor ◽  
Norsham Juliana ◽  
Nadia Mohd Effendy ◽  
Mohd Dzulkhairi Mohd Rani
Keyword(s):  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Mixed Method Research ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Orang Asli ◽  
Healthcare Facilities

Globally, the minority indigenous peoples have a lower health status when compared with national populations. The Orang Asli who are indigenous peoples of Peninsular Malaysia, also poses a significant challenge towards the handling of diseases. The present study sought to synthesise a coherent explanation of health-seeking behaviour among Orang Asli using a mixed-method research approach. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 324 adult Orang Asli living in the rural district of Jelebu, in the Peninsular Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan who conformed to the inclusion criteria. Then, 16 participants were interviewed to obtain an in-depth insight regarding their health-seeking behaviour. The findings showed that the majority of the Orang Asli utilized modern healthcare facilities and the respondents reported that the accessibility, services and medicines provided by the government were excellent. Meanwhile, 40.7% of the respondents relied on both traditional and modern treatments. The key determinants of the modern health-seeking behaviours among the Orang Asli in this study were satisfaction on modern health, barriers in getting health services, acceptance and attitude, and traditional medicine utilisation. Government, institutions and healthcare facilities have a role in ensuring that the vulnerable Orang Asli population is not left behind in receiving essential information on diseases associated with chronic and infectious diseases, including the current COVID-19 pandemic, as their action of seeking treatment remains complex and multi-layered.

scholarly journals Health Seeking in People Later Diagnosed as Having Dengue Fever during the Epidemic of 2018 in Kerala, India

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (01) ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Chintha Sujatha ◽  
Reshma Rajan Sudha2 ◽  
Sreejith Lalitha Krishnankutty
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Dengue Fever ◽  
Health Facility ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Care Facility ◽  
Secondary Level ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Self Medication

BACKGROUND Dengue Fever is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality among all communicable diseases in Kerala. Delay in seeking care is significantly associated with complications. Understanding health seeking behaviour of persons with risk of infection, helps in improving health care delivery. METHODS A cross sectional study was done among 100 dengue fever patients listed under Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) of Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala state. Data regarding their health seeking behaviour during the course of the disease was collected using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS Inappropriate health seeking behaviour indicated by delay in seeking care and self medication was found in 22 % (95 % CI; 13.9 - 30.1) of subjects. Mean (SD) of delay in seeking health care was 3.01 (1.3) days. Treatment was initiated from government health facility by 63 % of patients. Primary level health care facility was sought by 61 % patients whereas 30 % opted for a secondary level facility. Proximity of the location of health facility to the patient’s dwelling was the factor influencing choice of treatment facility in 70 % of patients, followed by perceived quality of facility (15 %) and patient perceived competency of the physician (9 %). Male gender (p = 0.03) and educational status less than secondary level (p = 0.008) were significant risk factors for self-medication and delay in seeking health care. CONCLUSIONS Inappropriate health seeking behaviour in patients with suspected Dengue Fever is comparatively less in Kerala. Majority are seeking care from Government facilities and access to health care is influencing health seeking behaviour. Awareness generation in general and specific interventions targeting those with lower education status can further improve health seeking behaviour and reduce complications of dengue. KEYWORDS Health Seeking Behaviour, Dengue Fever, Self-Medication, Delay in Seeking Care, Healthcare Access, Kerala

scholarly journals A study on the morbidity profile of children under 5 years of age and knowledge of parents regarding their health seeking behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 195-199
Author(s):  
Syed Belal Hassan ◽  
Saurabh Kumar Nirala ◽  
Mahendra Pratap Singh ◽  
Jai Veer Singh
Keyword(s):  
Health Facility ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Government Hospital ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Training Centre ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Children Under 5

To study the morbidity profile of children under 5 years of age and knowledge of parents regarding their health seeking behavior. The study was a community based cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in the Field practice area of Rural Health Training Centre (RHTC) of Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Barabanki. Families with at least one under five-year child, all family willing to participate and consenting and families residing in the study site for the minimum last 1 year were included in the study. A total of 400 subjects were included in the study. Door to door visit was done for data collection. Morbidity was almost nil in 0-2 months preceding the interview. Diarrhoea was most common morbidity during 2 months – 5 years preceding the interview. Government hospital for treatment was preferred by 53.5% of the respondents. Treatment at government hospital was taken by 55% of the respondents. Secondary level of care was available in 50.2% of the respondents. Only 2.2% of the respondents reported any problem with the treatment. Hospital was visited by 65% of the respondents for the treatment. Child’s last illness was 3-6 months in 52.8% of the respondents and Diarrhoea was the most common type of illness. 62.8% of the respondents visited government hospital for the treatment of child. More than one third of respondents visited health facility by bicycle (42.8%) and 24.5% approached by walking. Time taken to reach health facility was 15-30 minutes in 51% of the respondents. The main reason to choose particular health facility was Trust over the provider of the facility (41.5%). This study demonstrates the importance of maternal perception of illness severity in determining facility based care seeking for childhood illness in rural area.

Prevalence and health care seeking behaviour for sexually transmitted infections among in-school adolescents in Ado-Ekiti, South-Western Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick T. Adegun ◽  
Eyitope O. Amu
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽  
Health Care Seeking ◽  
Care Seeking ◽  
Self Medication ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sexually Transmitted ◽  
Stomach Pain ◽  
Health Care Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Care Seeking Behaviour

Abstract Background: In Nigeria, adolescents are highly vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) which have the potential of jeopardising their future reproductive lives if poorly treated. Objective: To determine the prevalence and health care seeking behaviour for STIs among secondary school adolescents in Ado, South-Western Nigeria. Subjects: Male and female adolescents aged 10–19 years. Methods: The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A pre-tested, self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from 560 adolescents selected from public and private secondary schools in Ado Local Government Area (LGA) of Ekiti State, using a multistage sampling technique. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Analyzed data were presented in the form of tables and charts. Results: Two hundred and fifty-one (47.1%) respondents had previous symptoms of STIs. The commonest symptoms among the males were penile discharge (30.5%), painful micturition (30.5%) and stomach pain with swollen testes (25.4%). The commonest symptoms among the females were genital itching (27.6%), genital sores (14.1%) and painful micturition (13.1%). Only 26.7% sought treatment from a health facility; 37.0% did nothing; 15.9% went to patent medicine stores, 10.0% used herbs; the rest did self-medication or prayed. Conclusion: The prevalence of STI symptoms among adolescents in Ado-Ekiti is high but their health care seeking behaviour is poor. Health education about the dangers of untreated STI and the importance of seeking treatment early, targeted at adolescents, should be intensified.

scholarly journals Assessment of health seeking behaviour and self-medication among general public in the state of Penang, Malaysia

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 991-991 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar T. Dawood ◽  
Mohamed A. Hassali ◽  
Fahad Saleem ◽  
Inas R. Ibrahim ◽  
Aseel H. Abdulameer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Public ◽  
The State ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Self Medication

Impact of social media usage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luqman Oyekunle Oyewobi ◽  
Olufemi Seth Olorunyomi ◽  
Richard Ajayi Jimoh ◽  
James Olabode Bamidele Rotimi
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Building Materials ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Interest ◽  
The Impact

Purpose Many construction businesses are currently building and keeping social media pages for their enterprises to be visible to the public to improve their social interaction, promote business interest, build trust and relationships with their targeted audience on social media. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of social mediausage on performance of construction businesses (CBs) in Abuja, Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach This study used a quantitative research approach by identifying constructs that reveal three aspects of organisation’s physiognomies that impact the process of espousing, implementing and using technological innovations in conducting businesses. Well-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 113 purposively sampled building materials’ merchant operating in Dei-Dei Market, Abuja, Nigeria. This study used partial least squares structural equation modelling technique to establish the relationship among the constructs. Findings The results of this study indicated that technology has significant relationship with social media adoption, whereas social media adoption has a very strong positive impact on organisation’s performance (P < 0.001) with respect to improved customer relations and services and enhanced information accessibility. Research limitations/implications This study has implications for CBs that wish to adopt social media to promote their businesses by presenting to them the opportunity to understand the impact of technology, environment and organisational potential in improving business performance. This study is cross-sectional in nature, and this calls for caution in interpreting the results. Originality/value This paper developed and tested a conceptual framework presented to understand the interrelationships amongst the constructs, which would be of great significance to business owners in developing their social interaction and promote business interest via social media. The outcome of this research is beneficial to researchers to further study how the different social media tools could help in influencing business decisions.

scholarly journals Knowledge, practices and health seeking behaviour regarding dengue among household in an urban slum of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 1212
Author(s):  
Amrita Kumari Konar ◽  
Rangala Venkata Manasa
Keyword(s):  
Andhra Pradesh ◽  
Medical Science ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Hemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Urban Slum ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Health Seeking Behaviour ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Cross Sectional

Background: Dengue/dengue hemorrhagic fever is an emergent disease in India. It is a mosquito-borne viral disease. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding dengue among households in urban slum area and to find out the health seeking behavior of respondent during first episodes of fever. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross sectional study undertaken in field practice area of UHTC of GITAM institute of medical science, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The sampling technique was two stage simple random sampling. Face-to-face interview based on a pre-designed and pretested questionnaire. The data was compiled and analyzed.Results: Out of total 262 individual were interviewed, 69.8% were aware about dengue. The major source of information was TV/radio (74.4%). The most common health seeking behaviour for first episode of fever was nearby UHTC and then government hospital.Conclusions: The knowledge and awareness regarding dengue was satisfactory in the study population but the knowledge about the mode of transmission and breeding habit is still lacking. More awareness campaign and health education will improve. 

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