Differences in Health Care Seeking Behaviour Between Rural and Urban Communities in South Africa

Overview

Journal Int J Equity Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialties Health Services
Public Health

Date 2012 Jun 14

PMID 22691443

Citations 59

Authors

Marinka van der Hoeven

Annamarie Kruger

Minrie Greeff

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore possible differences in health care seeking behaviour among a rural and urban African population.

Design: A cross sectional design was followed using the infrastructure of the PURE-SA study. Four rural and urban Setswana communities which represented different strata of urbanisation in the North West Province, South Africa, were selected. Structured interviews were held with 206 participants. Data on general demographic and socio-economic characteristics, health status, beliefs about health and (access to) health care was collected.

Results: The results clearly illustrated differences in socio-economic characteristics, health status, beliefs about health, and health care utilisation. In general, inhabitants of urban communities rated their health significantly better than rural participants. Although most urban and rural participants consider their access to health care as sufficient, they still experienced difficulties in receiving the requested care. The difference in employment rate between urban and rural communities in this study indicated that participants of urban communities were more likely to be employed. Consequently, participants from rural communities had a significantly lower available weekly budget, not only for health care itself, but also for transport to the health care facility. Urban participants were more than 5 times more likely to prefer a medical doctor in private practice (OR:5.29, 95% CI 2.83-988).

Conclusion: Recommendations are formulated for infrastructure investments in rural communities, quality of health care and its perception, improvement of household socio-economical status and further research on the consequences of delay in health care seeking behaviour.

Citing Articles

Pooled prevalence and associated factors of traditional uvulectom among children in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Kebede S, Agmas K, Kefale D, Kassaw A, Aytenew T PLoS One. 2025; 20(1):e0316755.

PMID: 39874381 PMC: 11774377. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0316755.

Noncommunicable Disease Conditions and HIV in Rural and Urban South Africa: 2005-2015.

Lammertyn L, Klipstein-Grobusch K, Kruger H, Kruger I, Fourie C Ethn Dis. 2024; 33(2-3):108-115.

PMID: 38845740 PMC: 11145727. DOI: 10.18865/ed.33.2-3.108.

Number of tetanus toxoid injections before birth and associated factors among pregnant women in low and middle income countries: Negative binomial poisson regression.

Zegeye A, Tamir T, Mekonen E, Ali M, Gonete A, Techane M Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2024; 20(1):2352905.

PMID: 38772729 PMC: 11110706. DOI: 10.1080/21645515.2024.2352905.

Help-seeking journey to accessing audiology services in a peri-urban community in South Africa.

Mtimkulu T, Khoza-Shangase K S Afr J Commun Disord. 2024; 71(1):e1-e9.

PMID: 38572901 PMC: 11019066. DOI: 10.4102/sajcd.v71i1.1002.

Prevalence and predictors of poor self-care behaviors in patients with chronic heart failure.

Niriayo Y, Yemane B, Asgedom S, Teklay G, Gidey K Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):1984.

PMID: 38263418 PMC: 10805850. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52611-5.

References

Franzini L, Caughy M, Spears W, Fernandez Esquer M . Neighborhood economic conditions, social processes, and self-rated health in low-income neighborhoods in Texas: a multilevel latent variables model. Soc Sci Med. 2005; 61(6):1135-50. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.02.010. View

Tanser F, Gijsbertsen B, Herbst K . Modelling and understanding primary health care accessibility and utilization in rural South Africa: an exploration using a geographical information system. Soc Sci Med. 2006; 63(3):691-705. DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.01.015. View

Myer L, Ehrlich R, Susser E . Social epidemiology in South Africa. Epidemiol Rev. 2004; 26:112-23. DOI: 10.1093/epirev/mxh004. View

Belli P, Gotsadze G, Shahriari H . Out-of-pocket and informal payments in health sector: evidence from Georgia. Health Policy. 2004; 70(1):109-23. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2004.03.007. View

Khun S, Manderson L . Health seeking and access to care for children with suspected dengue in Cambodia: an ethnographic study. BMC Public Health. 2007; 7:262. PMC: 2164964. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2458-7-262. View

Pinkoane M, Greeff M, Williams M . The patient relationship and therapeutic techniques of the South Sotho traditional healer. Curationis. 2006; 28(4):20-30. DOI: 10.4102/curationis.v28i4.1005. View

Bradshaw D, Groenewald P, Laubscher R, Nannan N, Nojilana B, Norman R . Initial burden of disease estimates for South Africa, 2000. S Afr Med J. 2003; 93(9):682-8. View

Norcross W, Ramirez C, Palinkas L . The influence of women on the health care-seeking behavior of men. J Fam Pract. 1996; 43(5):475-80. View

Cummings K, BECKER M, Maile M . Bringing the models together: an empirical approach to combining variables used to explain health actions. J Behav Med. 1980; 3(2):123-45. DOI: 10.1007/BF00844986. View

10.

Gotsadze G, Bennett S, Ranson K, Gzirishvili D . Health care-seeking behaviour and out-of-pocket payments in Tbilisi, Georgia. Health Policy Plan. 2005; 20(4):232-42. DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czi029. View

11.

Popkin B . An overview on the nutrition transition and its health implications: the Bellagio meeting. Public Health Nutr. 2002; 5(1A):93-103. DOI: 10.1079/phn2001280. View

12.

Kroeger A . Anthropological and socio-medical health care research in developing countries. Soc Sci Med. 1983; 17(3):147-61. DOI: 10.1016/0277-9536(83)90248-4. View

13.

Collinson M, Tollman S, Kahn K . Migration, settlement change and health in post-apartheid South Africa: triangulating health and demographic surveillance with national census data. Scand J Public Health Suppl. 2007; 69:77-84. PMC: 2830108. DOI: 10.1080/14034950701356401. View

14.

Ware Jr J, Sherbourne C . The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Med Care. 1992; 30(6):473-83. View

15.

Ahmed S, Tomson G, Petzold M, Kabir Z . Socioeconomic status overrides age and gender in determining health-seeking behaviour in rural Bangladesh. Bull World Health Organ. 2005; 83(2):109-17. PMC: 2623805. DOI: /S0042-96862005000200011. View

16.

Agyemang C . Rural and urban differences in blood pressure and hypertension in Ghana, West Africa. Public Health. 2006; 120(6):525-33. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2006.02.002. View