Factors Affecting Individuals' Behavior in Receiving Health Services

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to inquire about people's health service-seeking behaviors and to determine the relationship between health literacy and these behaviors, shedding light on the changes that can be made so that people can benefit from the health system more efficiently and purposefully. It is essential to learn the reasons that guide individuals' health service-seeking behaviors to use health resources effectively, develop health policies, raise societal awareness, and make family practice the first step for individuals in health service. To our knowledge, there is a lack of studies evaluating of the factors affecting individuals' health service-seeking behaviors and relationship between health literacy. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study included 422 volunteers aged 18 and older who applied to a training and research hospital (TRH) outpatient clinics and a training family health center (TFHC) affiliated with the same hospital between January-April 2020. The participants were given a data collection form that included sociodemographic data, a survey form with 20 questions to investigate people's preferences regarding healthcare steps, Turkey Health Literacy Scale-32 (TSOY-32) through face-to-face interviews. Results: Of the participants, 55.7% were female, 67.1% were married, 49.3% had a college education or higher, and 32.7% had a chronic disease. The mean level of the participants' health literacy was 29.80±10.66. The family health center was revealed to be the first health institution preferred by participants in the case of a health problem, with a rate of 42.8%. There was a significant difference between the first preferred institution being a family health center and the female gender (p=0.020). A statistically significant difference was found between place of application according to the preferred institution in health services (p<0.001). But there was no significant relationship between marital status, educational status, income level, having a chronic disease, and health literacy level. Conclusions: The most important factors influencing healthcare service-seeking behavior are easy access to healthcare services, communication with the physician, medical equipment, and the physician's medical knowledge. Increasing family health center laboratory facilities will be effective in ensuring the effective use of health services and increasing people's orientation toward primary health care services.