Article ; Online: Exploring barriers to reproductive, maternal, child and neonatal (RMNCH) health-seeking behaviors in Somali region, Ethiopia.
PloS one
2019 Volume 14, Issue 3, Page(s) e0212227
Abstract: Introduction: Health-seeking behaviours are influenced by internal and external contributing factors. Internal factors include attitudes, beliefs and core values, life adaptation skills, psychological disposition whereas external factors include social ... ...
| Abstract | Introduction: Health-seeking behaviours are influenced by internal and external contributing factors. Internal factors include attitudes, beliefs and core values, life adaptation skills, psychological disposition whereas external factors include social support, media, socio-cultural, political, economic and biological aspects, health care systems, environmental stressors and societal laws and regulations. This study was meant to explore factors affecting health-seeking behaviors in the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. The study employed a cross-sectional study design using qualitative data collection tools. Data were collected from 50 individual interviews and 17 focused group discussions (FGD) on women of reproductive age and their partners, health extension workers (HEWs), health care providers and health administrators. To ensure representativeness, the region was categorized into three zones based on their settlement characteristics as agrarian, pastoralist and semi-pastoralist. Two districts (one from high and the other from low performance areas) were selected from each category. The data were entered, coded, categorized and analyzed using NVIVO version 11 software. The Socio-ecologic Model (SEM) was used for categorization. Results: Using the social ecological model, the following major barriers for health seeking behaviors were identified. Low socio-demographic and economic status, poor exposure to health information or mass media, detrimental preferences of breast feeding methods and short acting family planning (FP) methods were identified barriers at the individual level; male dominance in decision making, the influence of the husband and society and the role of word of mouth were identified barriers at the interpersonal level and lack of acceptance, fear of modern health practices, unclean health facility environment, lack of well-equipped facilities shortage of trained staffs and barriers relating to distance and transportation were barriers identified at organizational and policy level. Conclusion: Overall, factors at various level affected health seeking behaviors of the Somali community. Socio-demographic and economic factors, non-responsive bureaucratic system, shortages or absence of medical supplies and human resources, lack of supportive supervision, a shortage of water and electricity at the health facility and an unclean service delivery environment are significant barriers to health-seeking behaviors for the community. |
|---|---|
| MeSH term(s) | Community Health Workers ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Ethiopia ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Health Behavior/ethics ; Health Facilities/statistics & numerical data ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Health Services Accessibility ; Healthcare Disparities ; Humans ; Information Seeking Behavior/ethics ; Male ; Maternal Health Services/statistics & numerical data ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care/psychology ; Pregnancy ; Reproductive Health Services ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Somalia |
| Language | English |
| Publishing date | 2019-03-15 |
| Publishing country | United States |
| Document type | Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
| ISSN | 1932-6203 |
| ISSN (online) | 1932-6203 |
| DOI | 10.1371/journal.pone.0212227 |
| Database | MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE |
More links
Kategorien
Order via subito
This service is chargeable due to the Delivery terms set by subito. Orders including an article and supplementary material will be classified as separate orders. In these cases, fees will be demanded for each order.
Inter-library loan at ZB MED
Your chosen title can be delivered directly to ZB MED Cologne location if you are registered as a user at ZB MED Cologne.