ArticlePloS one2015
Perceived morbidity, healthcare-seeking behavior and their determinants in a poor-resource setting: observation from India.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 44 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
44 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Health-seeking behavior and healthcare utilization among patients with non-communicable diseases in India: insights from a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2025Pooled it
- Health-seeking behavior and its determinants for non-communicable diseases in India - a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2025Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Access to Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Pooled it
- Factors associated with community acquired severe pneumonia among under five children in Dhaka, Bangladesh: A case control analysis.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Trial
- Healthcare-seeking behaviors of individuals with diarrhea in Southwest China: a cross-sectional survey.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Article
- Article
- Geographic disparities in inpatient service in primary care and patients' choice of first point of consultation: a linked cross-sectional survey and administrative data analysis in Shaanxi of China.International journal for equity in health · 2025Article
- Article
- Estimating and Explaining the Differences in Health Care Seeking by Symptom Burden Among Persons With Presumptive Tuberculosis: Findings From a Population-Based Tuberculosis Prevalence Survey in a High-Burden Setting in India.Open forum infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Interfaces of 'being healthy and being Ill': how is health being perceived by individuals with non-communicable chronic conditions?International journal for equity in health · 2024Article
- Effect of health belief model-based educational intervention on prostate cancer prevention; knowledge, practices, and intentions.BMC cancer · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- Perceived Healthcare Priorities, Barriers, and Preferences When Selecting Private or Governmental Healthcare Services Among a Sample of University Affiliates from Saudi Arabia.Patient preference and adherence · 2024Article
- Magnitude and trends in inequalities in healthcare-seeking behavior for pneumonia and mortality rate among under-five children in Bangladesh: Evidence from nationwide cross-sectional survey 2007 to 2017.Health science reports · 2023Article
- Patient's attitudes and perceptions around attending oncology consultations following surgery for colorectal cancer: A qualitative study.F1000Research · 2023Article
- Prevalence and pattern of multimorbidity among chronic kidney disease patients: a community study in chronic kidney disease hotspot area of Eastern India.Frontiers in medicine · 2023Article
- Preference and willingness to receive non-communicable disease services from primary healthcare facilities in Bangladesh: A qualitative study.BMC health services research · 2022Article
- Exploring health-seeking behavior for non-communicable chronic conditions in northern Bangladesh.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundTo control the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), in the developing world, understanding the patterns of morbidity and healthcare-seeking is critical. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine the distribution, predictors and inter-relationship of perceived morbidity and related healthcare-seeking behavior in a poor-resource setting.
methodsBetween October 2013 and July 2014, 43999 consenting subjects were recruited from 10107 households in Malda district of West Bengal state in India, through multistage random sampling, using probability proportional-to-size. Information on socio-demographics, behaviors, recent ailments, perceived severity and healthcare-seeking were analyzed in SAS-9.3.2.
resultsRecent illnesses were reported by 55.91% (n=24,600) participants. Among diagnosed ailments (n=23,626), 50.92% (n=12,031) were NCDs. Respiratory (17.28%, n=7605)), gastrointestinal (13.48%, n=5929) and musculoskeletal (6.25%, n=2749) problems were predominant. Non-qualified practitioners treated 53.16% (n=13,074) episodes. Older children/adolescents [adjusted odds ratio for private healthcare providers (AORPri)=0.76, 95% confidence interval=0.71-0.83) and for Govt. healthcare provider (AORGovt)=0.80(0.68-0.95)], females [AORGovt=0.80(0.73-0.88)], Muslims [AORPri=0.85(0.69-0.76) and AORGovt=0.92(0.87-0.96)], backward castes [AORGovt=0.93(0.91-0.96)] and rural residents [AORPri=0.82(0.75-0.89) and AORGovt=0.72(0.64-0.81)] had lower odds of visiting qualified practitioners. Apparently less severe NCDs [acid-peptic disorders: AORPri=0.41(0.37-0.46) & AORGovt=0.41(0.37-0.46), osteoarthritis: AORPri=0.72(0.59-0.68) & AORGovt=0.58(0.43-0.78)], gastrointestinal [AORPri=0.28(0.24-0.33) & AORGovt=0.69(0.58-0.81)], respiratory [AORPri=0.35(0.32-0.39) & AORGovt=0.46(0.41-0.52)] and skin infections [AORPri=0.65(0.55-0.77)] were also less often treated by qualified practitioners. Better education [AORPri=1.91(1.65-2.22) for ≥graduation], sanitation [AORPri=1.58(1.42-1.75)] and access to safe water [AORPri=1.33(1.05-1.67)] were associated with healthcare-seeking from qualified private practitioners. Longstanding NCDs [chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases: AORPri=1.80(1.46-2.23), hypertension: AORPri=1.94(1.60-2.36), diabetes: AORPri=4.94(3.55-6.87)] and serious infections [typhoid: AORPri=2.86(2.04-4.03)] were also more commonly treated by qualified private practitioners. Potential limitations included temporal ambiguity, reverse causation, generalizability issues and misclassification.
conclusionIn this poor-resource setting with high morbidity, ailments and their perceived severity were important predictors for healthcare-seeking. Interventions to improve awareness and healthcare-seeking among under-privileged and vulnerable population with efforts to improve the knowledge and practice of non-qualified practitioners probably required urgently.
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