Investigation of health seeking behavior and its predominant determinant factors among students of Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State.
Abstract
Health seeking behavior (HSB) is indirectly one of the predictors of health status of individuals, because it is the fulcrum of health behavior, a core determinant of health which contributes a whopping forty percent to overall health. Maintaining a healthy academic environment among other things demands an awareness of the HSB pattern of students. The study aimed to determine the HSB pattern of students of FUO and the major factors that influence it. In this cross-sectional study, 391 students participated and questionnaires were used as study instruments. Eight indicators including tendency to seek formal healthcare were used to determine the appropriateness or otherwise of HSB. Logistic regression and descriptive statistics were used as statistical measures while SPSS version 22 and Excel were used in the analysis. Among the key findings, 58.46% of the respondents exhibited appropriate HSB. The greatest barrier to visiting the university clinic was frequent lack of drugs, while lack of funds to pay for medical bills was the highest barrier to getting treatment in other hospitals other than the university clinic. Gender (p-value=0.4723, OR=0.7928) and access to clinic (p-value=0.5661, OR=1.229) did not show any association with HSB while parents’ level of education, severity of illness and socio-economic status were significantly associated with HSB. Respondents patronized pharmacy (62.56%) more than any other healthcare facility within Otuoke community. The key determinants of HSB turned out to be the parents’ level of education, seriousness of illness and financial state of students. Notwithstanding the slightly higher level of appropriate HSB, inappropriate HSB remained substantial in the study population.
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