Competency CM 2.3 Describe and demonstrate in a simulated environment the assessment of barriers to good health and health seeking behavior
Health-seeking behaviour (HSB) is a term that is used to explain the pattern of healthcare utilisation and the actions that individuals take to correct ill health or prevent health problems or maintain health.
Health/Preventive behaviours
Illness behaviours
Treatment/Sick role behaviours
Individual factors
Socio-cultural-economic factors
Environmental factors
Health system related factors
Perceived seriousness of an illness - An individual’s belief about the seriousness or severity of a disease.
Perceived susceptibility to illness- An individual's assessment of his or her chances of getting the disease.
Perceived benefits of behaviour change - A person’s opinion of the value or usefulness of a new behavior in decreasing the risk of developing a disease.
Perceived barriers to action - An individual’s own evaluation of the obstacles in the way of him or her adopting a new behavior.
Self efficacy is the belief in one’s own ability to do something . People will not try something new if they think they cannot do it.
Lack of knowledge
Language difficulties.
Current health status or ageing that limits mobility,
Embarrassment due to practice of unhealthy behaviours like drinking alcohol
Competing priorities like work, family, and social commitments.
Age - Young and the old are dependent on others to take them to the physician.
Sex - Woman are dependent on male members to accompany them to the physician.
Educational status - Lower educational status could mean lower awareness of diseases and poor health seeking behaviour.
Occupation - Work schedules conflict with timings of hospitals, Inability to take time off from work due to busy schedule or loss of wages
Prior experience - long waiting period, rude staff, overall negative experience, an adverse event, expensive treatment
Cultural practices.
Example - A belief in India that childhood illnesses like epilepsy are due to a supernatural phenomenon or evil eye prompts the family to take the childto the priest or tantrik..
Socio-economic determinants
Example - Affordability of consultation fees, transportation, diagnostic tests and treatment can affect health seeking behaviour. Another example is the affordability of adopting a healthy practice like filtration of drinking water, esting fruits
Gender Bias
A girl child may not be taken to the hospital inspite of severe illness or may not be taken for vaccination due to prevailing gender inequality in the society. Woman may not be allowed to seek health services, or may be dependent on male family members to accompany them to the hospital
Role of family
Family members may discourage an individual from seeking health care services or adopting a behaviour. Elders in the family stopping a mother from giving the child food and water to a child during diarrhoea .
Social Support
Example Friends and family members taking time off from work to accompany them, motivate them to adhere to their decision to quit smoking
Stigma and discrimination
Stigma attached to mental illness, leprosy, HIV, TB can affect health seeking behaviour.
Weather conditions like extreme temperatures, rains, may deter people from seeking services.
Non-availability of transportation facilities
Cues to action - A display near the lift saying “take the stairs if you care for your health”, can prompt a person to climb the stairs.
Accessibility - Lack of access to services due to non-availability of transportation, poor roads, health facilities located very far off etc.
Availability of services - Non-availability of doctors, medicines, equipments, diagnostic test
Affordability - cost of consultation, medicines, diagnostics
Gender sensitivity - Non-availability of female physicians may hinder women from seeking services for genital tract infections or clinical breast examination.
Lack of privacy
Attitude of staff at health care facility
Timings - Inconvenient days or timing of services
Delayed services like delay in getting reports of laboratory investigations
Long waiting period for consultation, registration
Quality of care -Competent work force, good communication skills, and responsiveness of health workers.