Abstract:
Background: Health care seeking behaviour is influenced by the individuals, diseases, and the
simple use and access of health services. Healthcare seeking behaviour states that treatment is
pursued from a number of different sources and identifies price, access, service quality and belief
as critical factors in decision-making. Dependent on these factors health care seeking behaviour
is a composite outcome of many factors functioning at several levels like socioeconomic and
cultural factors that influence their seeming needs and demand. In Ethiopia there is a marked
difference in seeking of health care between urban and rural areas that among those who reported
illness in the rural (60%), urban (30%) did not seek any kind of health service.
Objective: To compare health care seeking behavior at household levels between urban and
rural Esera Woreda Dawro Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.
Methods: A community based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among urban
and rural households in Esera Woreda Dawro Zone, Southwest Ethiopia from February to May
2015. Total of 394households (132-urban, 262-rural), selected via simple random sampling
technique, were proportionately distributed based on population size of the kebeles at each
stratum from sampling frame. Data were checked for completeness, entered into EpiData 3.1
software and exported into SPSS version 20 software for analysis. Tables, charts and frequencies
for descriptive analysis where odds ratio, 95% CI test to determine statistical difference factors
associated with Health Seeking Behaviour between urban and rural, bivariate and multivariable
logistic regression analysis were used to identify associated factors with household’s health
seeking behaviour.
Result: A total of 377 (119 urban and258 rural) households were interviewed about 377(95.7%)
response rate was get. Health care seeking behavior was higher among urban households
(80.7%) than rural households (48.1%).Urban households sought four times more than rural
households. At urban households being married (AOR=11.3, 95% CI =1.162, 110.204) and
perceived severity (AOR =6.6, 95% CI=1.051, 10.951) had positively significant association
with health care seeking behavior. Whereas monthly income, perceived severity, disease duration
and distance from health center were significantly associated with HSB of rural householdsIV
(AOR=5.6, 95% CI=2.044, 15.409), (AOR=2.5, 95% CI=1.10, 5.85), (AOR=8.9, 95% CI=2.40,
33.26) and (AOR=3, 95% CI=1.187, 8.354) respectively.
Conclusion: The finding of the study shown that healthcare seeking behaviour was higher
among urbans than rural households. Monthly income, perceived severity, disease duration and
distance from health center were significantly associated with rural households while perceived
severity and being married were significantly associated with urban households. Work on
strengthen accessibility of health care services and deliver pertinent health information and
education regarding health and illness to prevent disease and promote health for households
regardless of perceived seriousness and duration of diseases.