Socio-demographic factors and appropriate health care-seeking behavior for childhood illnesses

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Healthcare-seeking behaviors are crucial for managing childhood illnesses.
• Socio-demographic factors can significantly impact timely and appropriate healthcare access.
• Understanding these influences is vital for improving child health outcomes in developing regions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of socio-demographic factors on healthcare-seeking behaviors for childhood illnesses.
• To identify specific factors that predict appropriate healthcare utilization for acutely ill children.
• To inform public health strategies aimed at enhancing child healthcare access.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional survey design.
• Data collected from 168 consecutively admitted acutely ill children in a Nigerian tertiary care hospital.
• Bivariate and logistic regression analyses employed to assess associations between socio-demographic variables and healthcare-seeking behaviors.

Main Results:

• Only 7.1% of respondents demonstrated appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviors across all indicators.
• High maternal education was significantly associated with early care-seeking, use of orthodox facilities, and home drug use (p < 0.001).
• Children under 1 year old were more likely to receive early, out-of-home, and orthodox healthcare (p < 0.001).
• High maternal education and family socioeconomic status were strong predictors of early and out-of-home care-seeking.

Conclusions:

• Maternal education and family socioeconomic status are key predictors of appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviors for childhood illnesses.
• Early intervention and targeted health education programs focusing on mothers with lower education levels and lower socioeconomic status are recommended.
• Improving access to and utilization of orthodox health services for young children is essential.