Health-seeking behaviour of elderly individuals: A community-based cross-sectional study

The health-seeking behaviour of elderly individuals can help in ascertaining the determinants and in developing appropriate policies for their healthcare.

In this community-based cross-sectional study, we included 250 elderly persons above 60 years of age living in the urban field practice area of Shri Vasantrao Naik Government Medical College, Yavatmal, Maharashtra. We used a structured proforma to collect information about their health-seeking behaviour.

Overall, 48% of the study subjects chose an allopathic practitioner. The difference in the health-seeking behaviour for self-treatment, treatment from traditional healers and paraprofessionals as one group and allopathic treatment as another group was significant for the determinants of age (p<0.001), educational level (p<0.0001) and poverty status (p=0.0007) and registration under any government scheme (p=0.0446). The average expenditure on health was significantly more among those who were above 75 years of age, employed, educated and above the poverty line, irrespective of gender.

Elderly persons who prefer allopathic treatment are likely to be above 75 years of age, those having some education and those above poverty line.