Health seeking behavior and prevalence of self-reported symptoms of reproductive tract infection among women of reproductive age group in Dehradun District, Uttarakhand.

Background: Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are a common health issue among women in developing countries and can have serious long-term consequences. Health-seeking behavior (HSB) is essential in preventing, diagnosing, and managing RTIs. Aim: To determine the prevalence of self-reported symptoms of RTIs, HSB, and treatment utilization among women in the reproductive age group using a validated questionnaire developed for the Indian context. Methods: A mixed-method approach was utilized. Health-seeking questionnaire items were generated after a brainstorming session with healthcare workers. Multistage sampling was employed to recruit 306 women aged 15-49 years from three villages/wards of rural and urban areas to estimate the prevalence of symptoms of RTIs. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Binary logistic regression was employed to assess the predictors of care-seeking behavior. Results: All 24 items of the HSB questionnaire were deemed accepted as the content validity ratio (CVR) was more than 0.99 and retained as the content validity index (CVI) was more than 0.80. Out of 306 women, 26.7% revealed a history of vaginal discharge, primarily white with a sticky mucoid texture. 91.5% exhibited low perceived susceptibility to RTI/STI, 90% elicited high perceived severity, 95% showed high perceived benefit, and 36% scored high on perceived barrier. Perceived barriers included the belief that symptoms were within the realm of normality, shyness in discussing symptoms, and societal fear of judgment over character. Conclusion: Though 82% heard of RTI/STI, only half of them were aware of the mode of transmission. Prevalence of Vaginal discharge was reported by 27%. Participants exhibited low perceived susceptibility and high to moderate perceived barriers.