Health Seeking Behaviour of Urban Population and its Relationship with Medical Service Delivery System. A Study in a Municipal Area
Author: Sayan Dutta, sayansociology0@gmail.com
Department: Sociology
University: University of Kalyani, India
Supervisor: Prof. Partha Sarathi De
Year of completion: 2023
Language of dissertation: English
Keywords:
Health Seeking Behaviour
, Healthcare Utilisation
, Urban
, Accessibility
Areas of Research:
Health
, Population
, Theory
Abstract
In India, people in urban areas have a variety of healthcare alternatives, including public and private facilities as well as traditional or modern techniques. Factors such as the severity of illness, gender, social context, financial implications, education, and income influence health-seeking behavior. The urban population in India is growing rapidly, but there have been limited efforts to improve healthcare accessibility. In 2013, the National Urban Health Mission was established to address the health needs of the urban population. Therefore, a proper understanding of illness patterns and health-seeking behavior is crucial for effective healthcare policies and programmes. The study aims to identify the determinants of health-seeking behavior and barriers to accessing healthcare in urban areas, and to understand healthcare utilization and health-seeking behavior in the Kalyani municipality. In this cross-sectional study, the unit of analysis is individuals who have experienced illness during the last year and have taken action regarding their health. The sampling frame consists of twenty wards, and four wards were selected for the study. In this study, the researcher has used the Cochran method to draw 383 samples from the population of selected wards. After obtaining the list of individuals, the purposive sampling method has been applied to the required samples. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with close-ended and open-ended questions. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, with descriptive statistics and various tests used to examine the relationships between dependent (demographic characteristics, socio-economic characteristics, illness characteristics, perception, decision-making, etc.) and independent variables (health-seeking behavior and healthcare utilization). Overall, the study design focuses on analyzing health-seeking behavior and its relationship with healthcare services in the Kalyani municipality. It was found that caste, education, locality, health insurance, severity of illness, nature of illness, waiting time, cost-effectiveness, decision-making, quality of care, attitude of the service provider, and accessibility significantly influence the health-seeking behavior and choice of care. This study supports Anderson's model of healthcare utilization, which emphasizes the importance of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. The study suggests that policymakers and healthcare providers should consider these factors when designing interventions to improve healthcare utilization and address disparities in access to care.
