Breaking down healthcare hurdles: understanding the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana: a community-based cross-sectional study

Breaking down healthcare hurdles: understanding the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana: a community-based cross-sectional study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Breaking down healthcare hurdles: understanding the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana: a community-based cross-sectional study Micheal Nii Asare, Samuel Salu, Charlene Makafui Nyame, Veronica Okwuchi Charles-Unadike This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-4776064/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 16 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Optimal health plays a significant role in enhancing one's quality of life, empowering individuals to actively engage in productive endeavors for wealth generation. Recently, the unhealthy lifestyles of individuals resulting from their healthcare-seeking behavior have gained significant attention in research circles, both at the national and international levels, as his issue has become a central concern for healthcare stakeholders worldwide. This study evaluated the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana. Methodology: We employed a community-based cross-sectional study design in this study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample 400 study participants. Data were collected with a paper-based questionnaire, coded and entered into Epi-Data version 4.6.0.2. Data analysis was carried out in STATA V.16.0. Result Overall, only 193 (48.2%) out of the 400 participants expressed readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. Further analysis revealed that participants who were educated to the tertiary level were 4.2 times more likely to seek medical care than those with secondary and primary/JHS levels of education [AOR = 4.2 (95% CI: 1.73–10.25), p = 0.002]. Participants who reported having no form of family support in the event of illness were 0.2 times less likely to seek medical care [AOR = 0.2 (95% CI: 0.11–0.34), p = 0.001]. More specifically, participants who lacked financial support from their family/relatives were 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR = 0.4 (95% CI: 0.23–0.80), p = 0.008]. Furthermore, participants who were not escorted by their family/relatives to the health facility were also 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR = 0.4 (95% CI: 0.24–0.74), p = 0.003]. Conclusion In conclusion, our findings emphasize the complex interrelationship between individual, cultural, and structural factors in shaping healthcare-seeking behavior. Resolving these factors through targeted interventions and policies can enhance healthcare utilization, reduce health disparities, and ultimately contribute to the overall well-being and socio-economic development of the community and the country at large. Barriers Readiness Medical care Health Behavior Figures Figure 1 Background Optimal health plays a significant role in enhancing one's quality of life, empowering individuals to actively engage in productive endeavors for wealth generation ( 1 ). In as much as it serves as a fundamental factor influencing human development ( 1 ), it is largely influenced by the health-seeking behavior (HSB) of the individual ( 2 ). Recently, the unhealthy lifestyles of individuals resulting from their HSB have gained significant attention in research circles, both at the national and international levels, as this issue has become a central concern for healthcare stakeholders worldwide ( 3 ). Healthcare-seeking behavior (HSB) has been defined as, “any action or inaction undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an appropriate remedy” ( 4 ). HSB is a component of the broader concept of health behavior, which encompasses various actions aimed at preserving overall well-being, preventing illness, and addressing any deviation from a state of good health ( 5 ). Achieving a commitment to HSB plays a crucial role in lowering the economic burden, diminishing disability, and preventing deaths caused by diseases ( 6 ). Nonetheless, the process of HSB involves a decision-making journey influenced by individual and household choices, community norms and expectations, as well as provider-related attributes and conduct ( 7 ). The intricate interplay of these factors significantly shapes an individual's decision-making ( 4 ). The decision to seek alternative medicine or engage in self-medication is another aspect of an individual's HSB. This choice distinguishes itself from self-care because it often involves medications that carry the potential for both positive and negative effects ( 2 ). Research conducted by ( 8 ) emphasized that behavior can be influenced by beliefs regarding the perception and causes of diseases, including traditional, intuitive, supernatural, and magical explanations for certain ailments. However, ( 9 ) established that individuals do not rely on a single source of healthcare, and their HSB vary depending on who is affected and the specific diseases they are experiencing. Moreover, the Health Belief Model (HBM) posits that an individual's decision to engage in a specific health behavior is influenced by two primary factors: the perception of the disease (negative outcome) as a personal threat and the belief in the effectiveness of the health behavior in reducing the risk of this negative health outcome. The first factor, perceived threat, is contingent on whether a person believes they are susceptible to contracting the disease and how severe they perceive the consequences of developing it to be. The second factor, the perceived effectiveness of the preventive behavior, considers not only whether the individual deems the behavior useful but also factors in its cost in terms of money, time, and effort ( 7 ). This model facilitates the recognition and comprehension of individuals' HSB, extending beyond their knowledge, attitudes, and practice ( 10 , 11 ). HSB serves as a reliable predictor of healthcare service utilization within the community ( 12 ). According to ( 10 ), the state of HSB of members of a given society can be an important indicator of a society's well-being and is linked to its overall socio-economic development. Inappropriate HSB has been associated with unfavorable health consequences, heightened morbidity and mortality rates, and less favorable health statistics ( 13 ). While existing literature underscores the critical role of HSB in enhancing the quality of life, reducing health burdens, and contributing to overall socio-economic development, there remains a notable research gap in understanding the specific factors influencing HSB. Previous studies emphasized the complexity of HSB, which is influenced by individual choices, community norms, beliefs, and healthcare provider-related characteristics. However, the current state of knowledge does not address the unique dynamics and determinants of HSB. In our study, we evaluated the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in the Hohoe Municipality. Methods Study setting, and design The study employed a cross-sectional study design among residents of the Hohoe Municipality. The Hohoe Municipality is one of the eighteen ( 18 ) districts in the Volta Region. The city of Hohoe, of which the district was named, serves as the capital and the administrative or local government centre. It shares borders with the Republic of Togo on the east; on the southeast by the Afadzato district and southwest by Kpando Municipality; on the north with the Jasikan district; and the northwest with the Biakoye districts. Its capital, Hohoe, is about 78 kilometres from Ho, the regional capital and 220km from Accra, the national capital. The Municipality consists of one hundred and two (102) communities with a population of 167,016 projected from the 2010 National Population Census. Study population and participants The population for this study was all individuals within all four townships in the Hohoe Municipality. However, the participants consist of 400 residents of the Hohoe Municipality who are aged between 18 and 60 years. Inclusion and exclusion criteria Study participants were selected based on the following criteria (I) they must be residents of the Hohoe Municipality (II) they must consent to participate in the study voluntarily (III) they must be between the ages of 18–60 years. The study, however, excluded non-residents and non-consenting individuals. Individuals who were below the age of 18 years and above 60 years were also excluded from the study. Sample size and sampling procedure The sample size of 381 was calculated using Cochrane's single proportion formula as follows: \(\:n=\frac{{z}^{2}\:p(1-p)}{{d}^{2}}\) , considering a 5% margin of error, 95% confidence interval = 1.96 and a national prevalence of readiness to seek medical care of 45.6% from a study conducted by ( 14 ). Where; n = Estimated sample size p = 0.174 q= (1-p) d = margin of error (0.05) Z = Test Statistic (1.96) Accounting for a 5% non-response rate, the total sample size increased to 400. In our study, we employed a multistage sampling procedure to ensure the representation of the Hohoe Municipality's diverse population. In the initial stage, we organized the Hohoe Municipality into pre-existing clusters based on its division into four townships. These existing clusters were retained for the study. Within each township cluster, we used purposive sampling to select two communities, resulting in a total of eight communities under consideration. Within each of the eight selected communities, a simple random sampling technique was employed to select 50 participants from each community. This approach ensured that each individual within these communities had an equal opportunity to be included in the final sample. Data Collection The research was extensively explained to the participants and they were briefed on their responsibilities in the study. A paper-based questionnaire was used to collect the data. The items were constructed in the English Language based on the research objectives with both closed and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was translated into the local language, ‘Ewe’, for those participants who were unable to read and understand English without changing the context of the study. The questionnaire was categorized into 3 sections. The Section ‘A’ was based on the background characteristics of the participants. Section ‘B’ includes questions on medical care-seeking behaviors, the Section ‘C’, focuses on the factors that influence readiness to seek medical care. The questionnaire was pretested on twenty ( 20 ) individuals from the community who were not part of the study population but had similar characteristics as the study population to check for consistency of variables and identification and correction of errors. Variables of the study Dependent variable The dependent variable under investigation in our study was the readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness, which was assessed using a set of eight ( 8 ) items from the questionnaire. These items are as follows: (I) I seek medical care at the health facility for treatment when ill (II) Seeking medical care at the health facility is my first point of call following ill health (III) During my past illnesses, I sought treatment from a medical care practitioner at the health facility (IV) During my future illnesses, I will seek treatment from medical care practitioner at the health facility (V) If I had equal access to all options of care, I would routinely seek medical care (VI) I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider mild (VII) I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider severe (VIII) I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider life-threatening. Each participant was asked to respond to these items by choosing from four options: “Never,” “Rarely,” “Sometimes,” “Most times,” and “Every time.” To create a composite variable for readiness, we assigned a score of “1” to all positive responses and “0” to all negative responses for each of the items (I-VIII). The mean score was computed by summing up all these responses. Participants who scored below the mean were categorized as “ Not ready ” to seek medical care, while those who scored above the mean were categorized as “ Ready” to seek medical care. Independent variables Twelve ( 12 ) independent variables were included in our estimations. These variables comprised: Residence, Sex, Marital status, Religion, Educational level, Occupation, Monthly income, Ever heard of medical care services, Challenges faced in seeking medical care, Location of health facility, Family support, Type of family support, and Escort to health facility. All these variables were included in our inferential analysis. Statistical analysis The collected data were coded and entered into Epi-Data version 4.6.0.2. Data extraction and cleaning were carried out in Excel Sheet and then later exported into STATA V.16.0 (StataCorp. 2019. Stata Statistical Software: Release 16. College Station, TX: StataCorp LLC.) for analysis. To ensure the quality of the data extracted, double entry was done in Epi-Data to address discrepancies which may have occurred during extraction. Descriptive analysis such as simple frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data. Logistic regression such as bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results We interviewed a total of 400 participants in this study. Out of the 400, the majority of them 211 (52.8%) were males, and 184 (46%) were single. A significant majority 328 (82%) of the participants were Christians. Prominent among them 167 (41.8%) had a secondary level of education. Furthermore, more than two-thirds (69.5%) of the participants reported they have government health insurance cards (Table 1 ). Table 1 Sociodemographic characteristics of participants Variable Frequency (n = 400) Percentage (%) Age group ( in years ) SD (48.2, ± 1.66) 18–25 126 31.5 26–35 118 29.5 36–45 78 19.5 46–55 48 12 56–60 30 7.5 Sex Male 189 47.2 Female 211 52.8 Marital status Married 168 42 Single 184 46 Cohabitating 30 7.5 Divorced/separated 15 3.8 Widowed 3 0.7 Religion No religion 7 1.7 Christian 328 82 Islam 50 12.5 Other religion 15 3.8 Ethnicity Ewe 231 57.8 Akan 90 22.5 Dagbani 11 2.8 Guan 25 6.1 Others 43 10.8 Place of residence Hohoe 102 25.5 Fodome 104 26 Alavanyo 101 25.5 Wli 93 23 Educational level No formal education 40 10 Primary/JHS education 81 20.2 Secondary education 167 41.8 Tertiary education 112 28 Occupation Unemployed 20 5 Student 117 29.2 Government worker 56 14 Trader 11 27.8 Farmer 38 9.5 Others 58 14.5 Monthly income <=500 82 20.5 501–1000 118 29.5 1001+ 63 15.7 Not applicable 137 34.3 Health insurance type No health insurance 99 24.8 Private health insurance 23 5.7 Government health insurance (NHIS) 278 69.5 Readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness Table 2 below presents the readiness of participants to seek medical care. A significant proportion of them 157 (39.2%) reported seeking medical care at a health facility sometimes when they fall ill. Participants' past and future care-seeking behavior showed interesting patterns. In the past, 70 (17.5%) sought treatment from a medical care practitioner at a health facility every time they were ill. Looking ahead, 134 (33.5%) expressed a strong intention to seek treatment from a medical care practitioner at a health facility every time they face illness. When presented with the hypothetical scenario of equal access to all options of care, 93 (23.3%) of participants stated that they would routinely seek medical care. Table 2 Participants readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness Variable Frequency (n = 400) Percentage (%) I seek medical care at the health facility for treatment when ill Never 40 10 Rarely 61 15.3 Sometimes 157 39.2 Most times 92 23 Every time 50 12.5 Seeking medical care at the health facility is my first point of call following ill-health Never 60 15 Rarely 68 17 Sometimes 126 31.5 Most times 90 22.5 Every time 56 14 During my past illnesses, I sought treatment from a medical care practitioner at the health facility Never 63 15.8 Rarely 54 13.5 Sometimes 126 31.5 Most times 87 21.7 Every time 70 17.5 During my future illnesses, I will seek treatment from medical care practitioner at the health facility Never 19 4.7 Rarely 41 10.3 Sometimes 126 31.5 Most times 80 20 Every time 134 33.5 If I had equal access to all options of care, I would routinely seek medical care Never 41 10.2 Rarely 73 18.2 Sometimes 117 29.3 Most times 76 19 Every time 93 23.3 I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider mild Never 130 32.5 Rarely 119 29.8 Sometimes 90 22.5 Most times 31 7.7 Every time 30 7.5 I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider severe Never 14 3.5 Rarely 15 3.7 Sometimes 86 21.5 Most times 129 32.3 Every time 156 39 I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider life-threatening Never 13 3.2 Rarely 14 3.5 Sometimes 69 17.3 Most times 110 27.5 Every time 194 48.5 The figure below presents respondents' readiness to seek medical care. This was assessed by creating a composite variable for readiness. We assigned a score of “1” to all positive responses and “0” to all negative responses for each of the questions assessing readiness to seek medical care. The mean score was computed by summing up all these responses. Participants who scored below the mean were categorized as “ Not ready ” to seek medical care, while those who scored above the mean were categorized as “ Ready” to seek medical care. According to our findings, out of the 400 participants, a substantial 193 individuals (48.2%) expressed readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness (Fig. 1). Fig 1 : Participants' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. Barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness Unsurprisingly, an overwhelming 339 (99.7%) of respondents reported that they had heard of medical care services. When it comes to the challenges faced during medical care-seeking, respondents shared a range of experiences. Notably, 236 (59.0%) indicated that they had joined long queues before being attended to, shedding light on issues related to efficiency and waiting times. Interestingly, almost half of the respondents 190 (47.5%) reported that they were aware of the location of health facilities in their community. An impressive 319 (79.8%) of the respondents stated that they received family support in the event of illness (Table 3 ). Table 3 Barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness Variables Frequency (n = 400) Percentage (%) Ever heard of medical care services Yes 339 99.7 No 1 0.3 Challenges faced in seeking medical care Stigmatization 34 8.5 Long queues before medical attention 236 59 Inability to pay for medical bills 115 28.8 Others 15 3.8 Location of health facility Yes 190 47.5 No 210 52.5 Family support Yes 319 79.8 No 81 20.2 Type of family support Financial 127 39.8 Moral 64 20.1 Spiritual 22 6.9 Escort to health facility 103 33 Others 3 0.9 Barriers influencing readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness In the bivariate analysis we conducted, we found a significant association between educational level, challenges faced seeking medical care (stigmatization, long queues, inability to pay medical bills) , family support, and type of family support (χ2 = 27.14, p = 0.000), (χ2 = 15.07, p = 0.002), (χ2 = 37.26, p = 0.000), and (χ2 = 13.47, p = 0.009) respectively, and readiness to seek medical care. After controlling for all confounders, educational level, family support and type of family support were the barriers statistically associated with readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. The findings further revealed that participants who were educated to the tertiary level were 4.2 times more likely to seek medical care than those with secondary and primary/JHS levels of education [AOR = 4.2 (95% CI: 1.73–10.25), p = 0.002]. We also found that participants who reported having no form of family support in the event of illness were 0.2 times less likely to seek medical care [AOR = 0.2 (95% CI: 0.11–0.34), p = 0.001]. More specifically, participants who lacked financial support from their family/relatives were 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR = 0.4 (95% CI: 0.23–0.80), p = 0.008]. Furthermore, participants who were not escorted by their family/relatives to the health facility were also 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR = 0.4 (95% CI: 0.24–0.74), p = 0.003] (Table 4 ). Table 4 Barriers influencing readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among participants Variables Readiness to seek medical care χ2 (p-value) cOR (95%CI) aOR (95%CI) P-value Ready n (51.5%) Not Ready n (48.5%) Residence 0.71 (0.871) Hohoe 51 (24.8%) 51 (26.3%) - - - Fodome 47 (27.7%) 57 (24.2%) - - - Alavanyo 51 (26.3%) 50 (24.3%) - - - Wli 45 (23.3%) 48 (23.3%) - - - Sex 0.54 (0.463) Male 88 (45.7%) 101 (49.0%) - - - Female 106 (54.6%) 105 (51.0%) - - - Marital status 2.90 (0.574) Married 89 (45.9%) 79 (38.4%) - - - Single 85 (43.8%) 99 (48.1%) - - - Cohabitating 12 (6.2%) 18 (8.7%) - - - Divorced/Separated 7 (3.6%) 8 (3.9%) - - - Widowed 1 (0.5%) 2 (1%) - - - Religion 7.31 (0.063) No religion 1 (0.5%) 6 (2.9%) - - - Christian 167 (86.1%) 161 (78.2%) - - - Islam 22 (11.3%) 28 (13.6%) - - - Other religion 4 (2.1%) 11 (5.3%) - - - Educational level 27.14 ( 0.000***) No formal education 10 (5.2%) 30 (14.6%) Ref Ref Primary/JHS level 32 (16.5%) 49 (23.8%) 1.96 (0.84–4.55) 2.10 (0.88–5.05) 0.096 Secondary level 77 (39.7%) 90 (43.7%) 2.57 (1.18–5.59) 2.21 (0.97–5.05) 0.060 Tertiary level 75 (38.7%) 37 (18%) 6.08 (2.69–13.76) 4.22 (1.73–10.25) 0.002* Occupation 21.54 (0.0534) Unemployed 9 (4.6%) 11 (5.3%) - - - Student 67 (34.5%) 50 (24.3%) - - - Government worker 37 (19.1%) 19 (9.2%) - - - Trader 49 (25.3%) 62 (30.1%) - - - Farmer 10 (5.2%) 28 (13.6%) - - - Others 22 (11.3%) 36 (17.5%) - - - Monthly income 15.89 ( 0.001***) ≤ 500 30 (15.5%) 52 (25.2%) Ref Ref 501–1000 48 (24.7%) 70 (34%) 1.19 (0.67–2.12) 1.08 (0.58-2.00) 0.815 > 1000 40 (20.6%) 23 (11.2%) 3.01 (1.52–5.96) 1.54 (0.72–3.29) 0.266 Not applicable 76 (39.2%) 61 (29.6%) 2.16 (1.23–3.79) 1.13 (0.600–2.14) 0.701 Ever heard of medical care services 0.93 (0.334) Yes 206 (99.5%) 193 (100%) - - - No 1 (0.5%) 0 (0%) - - - Challenges faced during medical care seeking 15.07 ( 0.002* ) - - - Stigmatization 19 (9.2%) 15 (7.8%) Ref Ref Long queues 137 (66.2%) 99 (51.3%) 1.09 (0.53–2.25) 0.80 (0.29–2.25) 0.675 Inability to pay medical bills 42 (20.3%) 73 (37.8%) 0.45 (0.21–0.99) 2.10 (0.98–4.50) 0.155 Others 9 (4.4%) 6 (3.1%) 1.18 (0.34–4.07) 1.25 0.62–2.54) 0.524 Location of health facility 0.004 (0.948) Yes 98 (47.3%) 92 (47.7%) - - - No 109 (52.7%) 101 (52.3%) - - - Family support 37.26 ( 0.000 ***) Yes 190 (91.8%) 130 (67.4%) Ref Ref No 17 (8.2%) 63 (32.6%) 0.18 (0.10–0.33) 0.19 (0.11–0.34) 0.001*** Type of family support 13.47 ( 0.009 *) Moral 33 (17.5%) 31 (23.9%) Ref Ref Financial 91 (48.2%) 36 (27.7%) 0.42 (0.23–0.79) 0.40 (0.16–0.79) 0.41 (0.24–0.71) 0.43 (0.23–0.80) 0.47 (0.18–1.22) 0.42 (0.24–0.74) 0.008* 0.122 0.003* Spiritual 11 (5.8%) 11 (8.5%) Escort to health facility 52 (27.5%) 50 (38.5%) Others 2 (1.1%) 2 (1.5%) 0.40 (0.05–2.91) 0.31 (0.04–2.54) 0.276 χ2 : chi-square, aOR : adjusted odds ratio, CI : confidence interval, cOR : crude odds ratio, Ref : Reference point; *p < 0.05; ***p ≤ 0.001 Discussion In our study, we evaluated participants' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. Our findings indicate that 193 (48.2%) participants demonstrated readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. However, it's worth noting that this proportion is lower in comparison to a study conducted in Nigeria, where 61.3% of participants reported a similar inclination ( 5 ). The discrepancy in the readiness to seek medical care between our study and the study conducted in Nigeria can be attributed to several factors such as (I) Cultural beliefs and practices which often influence healthcare-seeking behavior. Different regions and cultures may have varying perceptions of illness severity and the role of healthcare providers ( 15 , 16 ), It is possible that cultural factors in Ghana, where our study was conducted, may have influenced participants to be less inclined to seek medical care compared to those in Nigeria, (II) Disparities in healthcare access and infrastructure between the two countries can also play a significant role ( 17 ). If healthcare facilities are more accessible and affordable in Nigeria, it may encourage a higher proportion of individuals to seek medical care compared to those in Ghana who may face barriers to access, (III) Differences in healthcare education and awareness campaigns can impact individuals' understanding of the importance of seeking medical care ( 18 ). If Nigeria had more extensive health education programs promoting early HSB, it could lead to a higher percentage of individuals willing to seek medical care. The differences in HSB between these regions underscore the need for context-specific policies and practices. A delicate and culturally sensitive approach to healthcare delivery and promotion is essential to ensure that individuals in these different regions are encouraged to seek medical care promptly, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for all. The results of our study revealed a series of compelling and distinctive findings regarding the factors influencing individuals' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. These findings emerged from an in-depth analysis that includes both bivariate and multivariate analyses. In the bivariate analysis, we initially identified several barriers significantly associated with the readiness to seek medical care, including educational level, challenges encountered when seeking medical care, family support, and type of family support. What set our study apart is the subsequent multivariate analysis, which allowed us to discern the most influential barriers among these. One of the most striking findings from our multivariate analysis was the substantial impact of educational level on individuals' readiness to seek medical care. Participants educated to the tertiary level exhibited a notably higher likelihood of seeking medical care compared to those with secondary and primary/JHS education levels. This finding underscores the pivotal role of education in health-related decision-making. Higher levels of education often equip individuals with the knowledge and awareness of the importance of timely healthcare access, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding their health ( 18 , 19 ). Family support emerged as a significant barrier in influencing healthcare-seeking behavior. Interestingly, while the presence of family support generally encourages individuals to seek medical care, it is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. Participants who reported having no form of family support were less likely to seek medical care. Moreover, those who lacked financial support from their family or relatives exhibited reduced readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. These findings suggest that family support is a double-edged sword. While it can serve as a crucial motivator for healthcare-seeking behavior, its absence or inadequacy can act as a substantial barrier, especially when it comes to financial resources. This highlights the importance of considering the role of family support in healthcare decisions. Another noteworthy discovery from our analysis pertains to the escorting of individuals by their family or relatives to healthcare facilities. Participants who were not accompanied by family or relatives were less likely to seek medical care. This finding underscores the social dimension of healthcare access. Family or relative escorts seem to play a facilitating role, providing not only physical but also emotional support during healthcare visits ( 20 – 24 ). The uniqueness of these findings underscores the complexity of factors influencing healthcare-seeking behavior. To harness the potential of these insights for the betterment of healthcare delivery, policymakers and healthcare providers must consider a multi-dimensional approach. This approach should include not only promoting higher levels of education but also addressing the specific needs of individuals lacking family support and providing resources to facilitate access for those who do not have family escorts. Limitations The cross-sectional design used in this study provides a snapshot of HSB at a single point in time. Thus, it cannot establish causal relationships between variables or capture changes over time. Data collection relied on self-reporting through questionnaires, which may introduce socially desirable response bias leading to overestimation or underestimation of certain behaviors or beliefs. Additionally, there may be other variables not considered in the study that could influence HBS. Conclusion Our study highlights the critical issue of HSB. Findings from the study revealed that a substantial proportion of participants were unwilling to seek medical care in the event of illness. Notably, our study's unique and compelling findings resulted from a comprehensive analysis encompassing both bivariate and multivariate approaches. The multivariate analysis elucidated the influential factors such as educational level, family support, and the type of family support as barriers associated with the readiness to seek medical care. The complexity of these barriers influencing HSB revealed in our study necessitates a multi-dimensional approach. It underscores the need for policymakers, the government and healthcare providers to promote higher levels of education, address the needs of individuals lacking family support, and provide resources to facilitate access for those without family escorts. By addressing these factors, we can work towards equitable healthcare access and sustainable better health outcomes for diverse populations and consequently help to meet the SDG 3 which is good health and well-being. Abbreviations aOR Adjusted odds ratio cOR Crude odds ratio HSB Healthcare-seeking behavior HBM Health Belief Model NHIS National Health Insurance Scheme SDG Sustainable Development Goal Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The study adhered to all methods in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The University of Health and Allied Sciences Research Ethics Committee (UHAS-REC) reviewed the study and approved it with a reference [ID: UHAS-REC A.11 [56] 20-21 ]. Permission was also obtained from the Hohoe Municipal Assembly before the commencement of the study. A written informed consent was obtained from all of the participants. Consent for publication Not applicable. Availability of data and materials All data generated or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Competing interests The authors declare that they have no competing interests. Funding No funding. Authors' contributions MNA and VOC conceived and designed the study. VOC supervised the research work in the field. Data collection and analysis was carried out by MNA. SS wrote the initial draft and revised it. CMN checked the references. VOC revised and finalized the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements The authors would like to acknowledge all our study participants for their cooperation and voluntary participation during the data collection. References Osei Asibey B, Agyemang S. Analysing the Influence of Health Insurance Status on Peoples’ Health Seeking Behaviour in Rural Ghana. J Trop Med. 2017;2017. Khadka S, Shrestha O, Koirala G, Acharya U, Adhikari G. Health seeking behavior and self-medication practice among undergraduate medical students of a teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg. 2022;78:103776. Ikhioya GO, Akerele S. Global trend in technology: Its impact in healthcare seeking behavior and healthy life styles for better productivity. Unizik J Educ Res Policy Stud. 2021;5:16–32. Olenja J, Editorial J. 2003 [cited 2023 Sep 5]. pp. 61–2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16167716/ . Latunji OO, Akinyemi OO. Factors influencing health-seeking behaviour among civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ann Ibadan Postgrad Med [Internet]. 2018 Jun [cited 2023 Sep 5];16(1):52–60. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC6143883/. Haileamlak A. What factors affect health seeking behavior? [Internet]. Vol. 28, Ethiopian Journal of Health Sciences. College of Public Health and Medical Sciences of Jimma University; 2018 [cited 2023 Sep 5]. p. 110. /pmc/articles/PMC6016338/ . Oberoi S, Chaudhary N, Patnaik S, Singh A. Understanding health seeking behavior. J Fam Med Prim Care [Internet]. 2016 [cited 2023 Sep 5];5(2):463. /pmc/articles/PMC5084583/ . Arnold J, Flint J, Casapulla S, Nieto C, Grijalva MJ. Medical pluralism in maternal health-seeking behavior of rural women in Southern Ecuador. Health Care Women Int [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2023 Sep 5];42(4–6):356–73. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31385747/ . El-Ghitany EM, Mohamed Abdelmohsen MA, Farghaly AG, Abd El-Gawwad ES, Abd El-Wahab EW. Travel Health Survey: Risk perception, health-seeking behavior, and subjective evaluation of travel health services in Egypt. Int J Travel Med Glob Heal. 2018;6(1):16–24. Carico RR, Sheppard J, Thomas CB. Community pharmacists and communication in the time of COVID-19: Applying the health belief model [Internet]. Vol. 17, Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. Res Social Adm Pharm; 2021 [cited 2023 Sep 5]. pp. 1984–7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32247680/ . Didarloo A, Nabilou B, Khalkhali HR. Psychosocial predictors of breast self-examination behavior among female students: An application of the health belief model using logistic regression. BMC Public Health [Internet]. 2017 Nov 3 [cited 2023 Sep 5];17(1). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29100508/ . Ng’ambi W, Mangal T, Phillips A, Colbourn T, Mfutso-Bengo J, Revill P et al. Factors associated with healthcare seeking behaviour for children in Malawi: 2016. Trop Med Int Heal [Internet]. 2020 Dec 1 [cited 2023 Sep 5];25(12):1486–95. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/ 10.1111/tmi.13499 . Latunji OO, Akinyemi OO. Factors influencing health-seeking behaviour among civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ann Ibadan Postgrad Med [Internet]. 2018 Jul 17 [cited 2023 Sep 5];16(1):52–60. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/aipm/article/view/174662 . Nuhu KM. Determinants of health-seeking behavior in Ghana. Doctoral dissertation, Southern Illinois University Carbondale. 2018. Sarfo IA. Health seeking behavior among people suffering from cardiovascular disorders. University of Ghana; 2015. Uddin J, Hossin M, Mahbub F, Hossain M. Healthcare-seeking behavior among the chakma ethnic group in bangladesh: Can accessibility and cultural beliefs shape healthcare utilization? Int Q Community Health Educ [Internet]. 2012 Sep 17 [cited 2023 Sep 6];33(4):375–89. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/ 10.2190/IQ.33.4.e . Anselmi L, Lagarde M, Hanson K. Health service availability and health seeking behaviour in resource poor settings: evidence from Mozambique. Health Econ Rev [Internet]. 2015 Sep 2 [cited 2023 Sep 6];5(1):1–13. https://healtheconomicsreview.biomedcentral.com/articles/ 10.1186/s13561-015-0062-6 . Li X, Yang H, Wang H, Liu X. Effect of health education on healthcare-seeking behavior of migrant workers in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health [Internet]. 2020 Apr 1 [cited 2023 Sep 11];17(7). /pmc/articles/PMC7177837/ . Benuto LT, Casas J, Gonzalez F, Newlands R. The behavioral model of health: Education, behavioral health factors, and stigma as predictors of help-seeking attitudes. Community Ment Health J [Internet]. 2020 Oct 1 [cited 2023 Sep 11];56(7):1275–83. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32170519/ . Huang RY, Lee TT, Lin YH, Liu CY, Wu HC, Huang SH. Factors related to family caregivers’ readiness for the hospital discharge of advanced cancer patients. Int J Environ Res Public Health [Internet]. 2022 Jul 1 [cited 2023 Sep 11];19(13). /pmc/articles/PMC9266053/ . Babaei S, Abolhasani S. Family’s supportive behaviors in the care of the patient admitted to the cardiac care unit: A qualitative study. J Caring Sci [Internet]. 2020 Jun 1 [cited 2023 Sep 11];9(2):80–6. Available from: /pmc/articles/PMC7322406/. Prior SJ, Campbell S. Patient and family involvement: A discussion of co-led redesign of healthcare services [Internet]. Vol. 20, Journal of Participatory Medicine. JMIR Publications Inc.; 2018 [cited 2023 Sep 11]. p. 5. /pmc/articles/PMC7489197/ . Sayers SL, White T, Zubritsky C, Oslin DW. Family involvement in the care of healthy medical outpatients. Fam Pract [Internet]. 2006 Jun 1 [cited 2023 Sep 11];23(3):317–24. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmi114 . Weiss-Laxer NS, Crandall AA, Hughes ME, Riley AW. Families as a cornerstone in 21st century public health: Recommendations for research, education, policy, and practice. Front Public Heal. 2020;8:571475. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files AdditionalFileDataCollectionInstrumentBHSB.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 06 Mar, 2025 Reviews received at journal 04 Mar, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Feb, 2025 Reviews received at journal 20 Jan, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Dec, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Nov, 2024 Reviews received at journal 10 Oct, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 15 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 13 Sep, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Sep, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Aug, 2024 Editor invited by journal 23 Jul, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 23 Jul, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 23 Jul, 2024 First submitted to journal 21 Jul, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-4776064","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":342122270,"identity":"7a73acbf-9e54-43ed-9f6d-b22643641e0e","order_by":0,"name":"Micheal Nii Asare","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Health and Allied Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Micheal","middleName":"Nii","lastName":"Asare","suffix":""},{"id":342122271,"identity":"6e53ab92-712e-4c11-86d2-4a0aa8ae7fc2","order_by":1,"name":"Samuel Salu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Health and Allied Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Samuel","middleName":"","lastName":"Salu","suffix":""},{"id":342122272,"identity":"7e650c9f-7a12-4296-9e69-a6422b8dc41e","order_by":2,"name":"Charlene Makafui Nyame","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Health and Allied Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Charlene","middleName":"Makafui","lastName":"Nyame","suffix":""},{"id":342122273,"identity":"972d4e52-174e-46f4-afe8-451ea9fc3dba","order_by":3,"name":"Veronica Okwuchi Charles-Unadike","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Health and Allied Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Veronica","middleName":"Okwuchi","lastName":"Charles-Unadike","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-07-21 09:08:20","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4776064/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4776064/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":63280821,"identity":"45f6316f-263e-40d3-86c1-b22c3fea93e8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-26 12:52:44","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":10879,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eParticipants' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4776064/v1/f83d7518967fae2def32ab82.png"},{"id":63281661,"identity":"ba588a7e-e64c-47fd-a211-d2241e1e8c95","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-26 13:00:46","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1466865,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4776064/v1/dda09b7e-977e-42c8-9147-c916b0a51388.pdf"},{"id":63280824,"identity":"69678fb5-3333-4811-9ccf-b5723984fd3a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-08-26 12:52:44","extension":"pdf","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":147183,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"AdditionalFileDataCollectionInstrumentBHSB.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-4776064/v1/8b977201e41c680fc69f05cd.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Breaking down healthcare hurdles: understanding the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana: a community-based cross-sectional study","fulltext":[{"header":"Background","content":"\u003cp\u003eOptimal health plays a significant role in enhancing one's quality of life, empowering individuals to actively engage in productive endeavors for wealth generation (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). In as much as it serves as a fundamental factor influencing human development (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), it is largely influenced by the health-seeking behavior (HSB) of the individual (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e). Recently, the unhealthy lifestyles of individuals resulting from their HSB have gained significant attention in research circles, both at the national and international levels, as this issue has become a central concern for healthcare stakeholders worldwide (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare-seeking behavior (HSB) has been defined as, \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;any action or inaction undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an appropriate remedy\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). HSB is a component of the broader concept of health behavior, which encompasses various actions aimed at preserving overall well-being, preventing illness, and addressing any deviation from a state of good health (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). Achieving a commitment to HSB plays a crucial role in lowering the economic burden, diminishing disability, and preventing deaths caused by diseases (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e). Nonetheless, the process of HSB involves a decision-making journey influenced by individual and household choices, community norms and expectations, as well as provider-related attributes and conduct (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). The intricate interplay of these factors significantly shapes an individual's decision-making (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e). The decision to seek alternative medicine or engage in self-medication is another aspect of an individual's HSB. This choice distinguishes itself from self-care because it often involves medications that carry the potential for both positive and negative effects (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eResearch conducted by (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e) emphasized that behavior can be influenced by beliefs regarding the perception and causes of diseases, including traditional, intuitive, supernatural, and magical explanations for certain ailments. However, (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e) established that individuals do not rely on a single source of healthcare, and their HSB vary depending on who is affected and the specific diseases they are experiencing.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoreover, the Health Belief Model (HBM) posits that an individual's decision to engage in a specific health behavior is influenced by two primary factors: the perception of the disease (negative outcome) as a personal threat and the belief in the effectiveness of the health behavior in reducing the risk of this negative health outcome. The first factor, perceived threat, is contingent on whether a person believes they are susceptible to contracting the disease and how severe they perceive the consequences of developing it to be. The second factor, the perceived effectiveness of the preventive behavior, considers not only whether the individual deems the behavior useful but also factors in its cost in terms of money, time, and effort (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e). This model facilitates the recognition and comprehension of individuals' HSB, extending beyond their knowledge, attitudes, and practice (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHSB serves as a reliable predictor of healthcare service utilization within the community (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e). According to (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e), the state of HSB of members of a given society can be an important indicator of a society's well-being and is linked to its overall socio-economic development. Inappropriate HSB has been associated with unfavorable health consequences, heightened morbidity and mortality rates, and less favorable health statistics (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e). While existing literature underscores the critical role of HSB in enhancing the quality of life, reducing health burdens, and contributing to overall socio-economic development, there remains a notable research gap in understanding the specific factors influencing HSB. Previous studies emphasized the complexity of HSB, which is influenced by individual choices, community norms, beliefs, and healthcare provider-related characteristics. However, the current state of knowledge does not address the unique dynamics and determinants of HSB. In our study, we evaluated the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in the Hohoe Municipality.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy setting, and design\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe study employed a cross-sectional study design among residents of the Hohoe Municipality. The Hohoe Municipality is one of the eighteen (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e) districts in the Volta Region. The city of Hohoe, of which the district was named, serves as the capital and the administrative or local government centre. It shares borders with the Republic of Togo on the east; on the southeast by the Afadzato district and southwest by Kpando Municipality; on the north with the Jasikan district; and the northwest with the Biakoye districts. Its capital, Hohoe, is about 78 kilometres from Ho, the regional capital and 220km from Accra, the national capital. The Municipality consists of one hundred and two (102) communities with a population of 167,016 projected from the 2010 National Population Census.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy population and participants\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe population for this study was all individuals within all four townships in the Hohoe Municipality. However, the participants consist of 400 residents of the Hohoe Municipality who are aged between 18 and 60 years.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eInclusion and exclusion criteria\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudy participants were selected based on the following criteria (I) they must be residents of the Hohoe Municipality (II) they must consent to participate in the study voluntarily (III) they must be between the ages of 18\u0026ndash;60 years. The study, however, excluded non-residents and non-consenting individuals. Individuals who were below the age of 18 years and above 60 years were also excluded from the study.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eSample size and sampling procedure\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe sample size of 381 was calculated using Cochrane's single proportion formula as follows:\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e \u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:n=\\frac{{z}^{2}\\:p(1-p)}{{d}^{2}}\\)\u003c/span\u003e \u003c/span\u003e, considering a 5% margin of error, 95% confidence interval =\u0026thinsp;1.96 and a national prevalence of readiness to seek medical care of 45.6% from a study conducted by (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e). Where;\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Estimated sample size\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ep\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.174\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eq= (1-p)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ed\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;margin of error (0.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eZ\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Test Statistic (1.96)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccounting for a 5% non-response rate, the total sample size increased to 400.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn our study, we employed a multistage sampling procedure to ensure the representation of the Hohoe Municipality's diverse population. In the initial stage, we organized the Hohoe Municipality into pre-existing clusters based on its division into four townships. These existing clusters were retained for the study. Within each township cluster, we used purposive sampling to select two communities, resulting in a total of eight communities under consideration. Within each of the eight selected communities, a simple random sampling technique was employed to select 50 participants from each community. This approach ensured that each individual within these communities had an equal opportunity to be included in the final sample.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eData Collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe research was extensively explained to the participants and they were briefed on their responsibilities in the study. A paper-based questionnaire was used to collect the data. The items were constructed in the English Language based on the research objectives with both closed and open-ended questions. The questionnaire was translated into the local language, \u0026lsquo;Ewe\u0026rsquo;, for those participants who were unable to read and understand English without changing the context of the study. The questionnaire was categorized into 3 sections. The Section \u0026lsquo;A\u0026rsquo; was based on the background characteristics of the participants. Section \u0026lsquo;B\u0026rsquo; includes questions on medical care-seeking behaviors, the Section \u0026lsquo;C\u0026rsquo;, focuses on the factors that influence readiness to seek medical care. The questionnaire was pretested on twenty (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e) individuals from the community who were not part of the study population but had similar characteristics as the study population to check for consistency of variables and identification and correction of errors.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eVariables of the study\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDependent variable\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe dependent variable under investigation in our study was the readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness, which was assessed using a set of eight (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e) items from the questionnaire. These items are as follows: (I) I seek medical care at the health facility for treatment when ill (II) Seeking medical care at the health facility is my first point of call following ill health (III) During my past illnesses, I sought treatment from a medical care practitioner at the health facility (IV) During my future illnesses, I will seek treatment from medical care practitioner at the health facility (V) If I had equal access to all options of care, I would routinely seek medical care (VI) I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider mild (VII) I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider severe (VIII) I seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider life-threatening.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eEach participant was asked to respond to these items by choosing from four options: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Never,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Rarely,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Sometimes,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;Most times,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Every time.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e To create a composite variable for readiness, we assigned a score of \u0026ldquo;1\u0026rdquo; to all positive responses and \u0026ldquo;0\u0026rdquo; to all negative responses for each of the items (I-VIII). The mean score was computed by summing up all these responses. Participants who scored below the mean were categorized as \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eNot ready\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; to seek medical care, while those who scored above the mean were categorized as \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eReady\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e to seek medical care.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section3\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eIndependent variables\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTwelve (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e) independent variables were included in our estimations. These variables comprised: Residence, Sex, Marital status, Religion, Educational level, Occupation, Monthly income, Ever heard of medical care services, Challenges faced in seeking medical care, Location of health facility, Family support, Type of family support, and Escort to health facility. All these variables were included in our inferential analysis.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe collected data were coded and entered into Epi-Data version 4.6.0.2. Data extraction and cleaning were carried out in Excel Sheet and then later exported into STATA V.16.0 (StataCorp. 2019. Stata Statistical Software: Release 16. College Station, TX: StataCorp LLC.) for analysis. To ensure the quality of the data extracted, double entry was done in Epi-Data to address discrepancies which may have occurred during extraction. Descriptive analysis such as simple frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data. Logistic regression such as bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed. The odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were calculated, and a p-value of less than \u003cem\u003e0.05\u003c/em\u003e was considered statistically significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eWe interviewed a total of 400 participants in this study. Out of the 400, the majority of them 211 (52.8%) were males, and 184 (46%) were single. A significant majority 328 (82%) of the participants were Christians. Prominent among them 167 (41.8%) had a secondary level of education. Furthermore, more than two-thirds (69.5%) of the participants reported they have government health insurance cards (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSociodemographic characteristics of participants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;400)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAge group (\u003c/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ein years\u003c/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSD (48.2, \u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.66)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18\u0026ndash;25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u0026ndash;35\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e118\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36\u0026ndash;45\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e78\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46\u0026ndash;55\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56\u0026ndash;60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSex\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e189\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e211\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarital status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e168\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e184\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e46\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCohabitating\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDivorced/separated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidowed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo religion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e328\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIslam\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther religion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEthnicity\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEwe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e231\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAkan\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDagbani\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGuan\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlace of residence\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHohoe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e102\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFodome\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e104\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlavanyo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e25.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWli\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEducational level\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo formal education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary/JHS education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e167\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e112\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnemployed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudent\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e117\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGovernment worker\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrader\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e38\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e58\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMonthly income\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026lt;=500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e82\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e501\u0026ndash;1000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e118\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1001+\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e137\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eHealth insurance type\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo health insurance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrivate health insurance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGovernment health insurance (NHIS)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e278\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e\u003cb\u003eReadiness to seek medical care in the event of illness\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTable\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e below presents the readiness of participants to seek medical care. A significant proportion of them 157 (39.2%) reported seeking medical care at a health facility sometimes when they fall ill. Participants' past and future care-seeking behavior showed interesting patterns. In the past, 70 (17.5%) sought treatment from a medical care practitioner at a health facility every time they were ill. Looking ahead, 134 (33.5%) expressed a strong intention to seek treatment from a medical care practitioner at a health facility every time they face illness. When presented with the hypothetical scenario of equal access to all options of care, 93 (23.3%) of participants stated that they would routinely seek medical care.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipants readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;400)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eI seek medical care at the health facility for treatment when ill\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e157\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeeking medical care at the health facility is my first point of call following ill-health\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e60\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e68\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDuring my past illnesses, I sought treatment from a medical care practitioner at the health facility\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e87\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDuring my future illnesses, I will seek treatment from medical care practitioner at the health facility\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e126\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e134\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIf I had equal access to all options of care, I would routinely seek medical care\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e41\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e117\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e93\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eI seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider mild\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e130\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e119\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eI seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider severe\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e86\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e129\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e156\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eI seek medical care from the health facilities for illnesses I consider life-threatening\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNever\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRarely\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSometimes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e69\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost times\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e110\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEvery time\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e194\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe figure below presents respondents' readiness to seek medical care. This was assessed by creating a composite variable for readiness. We assigned a score of \u0026ldquo;1\u0026rdquo; to all positive responses and \u0026ldquo;0\u0026rdquo; to all negative responses for each of the questions assessing readiness to seek medical care. The mean score was computed by summing up all these responses. Participants who scored below the mean were categorized as \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eNot ready\u003c/em\u003e\u0026rdquo; to seek medical care, while those who scored above the mean were categorized as \u0026ldquo;\u003cem\u003eReady\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e to seek medical care. According to our findings, out of the 400 participants, a substantial 193 individuals (48.2%) expressed readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness (Fig.\u0026nbsp;1).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eFig 1\u003c/b\u003e: Participants' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eBarriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnsurprisingly, an overwhelming 339 (99.7%) of respondents reported that they had heard of medical care services. When it comes to the challenges faced during medical care-seeking, respondents shared a range of experiences. Notably, 236 (59.0%) indicated that they had joined long queues before being attended to, shedding light on issues related to efficiency and waiting times. Interestingly, almost half of the respondents 190 (47.5%) reported that they were aware of the location of health facilities in their community. An impressive 319 (79.8%) of the respondents stated that they received family support in the event of illness (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBarriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"3\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFrequency (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;400)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEver heard of medical care services\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e339\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99.7\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChallenges faced in seeking medical care\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStigmatization\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLong queues before medical attention\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e236\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInability to pay for medical bills\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e115\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLocation of health facility\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e190\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e210\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamily support\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e319\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e81\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eType of family support\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinancial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e127\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e39.8\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoral\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e64\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpiritual\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEscort to health facility\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e103\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.9\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eBarriers influencing readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn the bivariate analysis we conducted, we found a significant association between educational level, challenges faced seeking medical care \u003cem\u003e(stigmatization, long queues, inability to pay medical bills)\u003c/em\u003e, family support, and type of family support (χ2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;27.14, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.000), (χ2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;15.07, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002), (χ2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;37.26, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.000), and (χ2\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;13.47, p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.009) respectively, and readiness to seek medical care. After controlling for all confounders, educational level, family support and type of family support were the barriers statistically associated with readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. The findings further revealed that participants who were educated to the tertiary level were 4.2 times more likely to seek medical care than those with secondary and primary/JHS levels of education [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.2 (95% CI: 1.73\u0026ndash;10.25), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002]. We also found that participants who reported having no form of family support in the event of illness were 0.2 times less likely to seek medical care [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.2 (95% CI: 0.11\u0026ndash;0.34), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001]. More specifically, participants who lacked financial support from their family/relatives were 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.4 (95% CI: 0.23\u0026ndash;0.80), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.008]. Furthermore, participants who were not escorted by their family/relatives to the health facility were also 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.4 (95% CI: 0.24\u0026ndash;0.74), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.003] (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab4\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab4\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 4\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBarriers influencing readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among participants\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"7\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"2\" nameend=\"c3\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReadiness to seek medical care\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eχ2 (p-value)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ecOR (95%CI)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eaOR (95%CI)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eP-value\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eReady\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en (51.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot Ready\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003en (48.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eResidence\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.71 (0.871)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHohoe\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51 (24.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51 (26.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFodome\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e47 (27.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e57 (24.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAlavanyo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e51 (26.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50 (24.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWli\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e45 (23.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48 (23.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSex\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.54 (0.463)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e88 (45.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101 (49.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFemale\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e106 (54.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e105 (51.0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMarital status\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.90 (0.574)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMarried\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e89 (45.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e79 (38.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSingle\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e85 (43.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99 (48.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCohabitating\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12 (6.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18 (8.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDivorced/Separated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 (3.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 (3.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWidowed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (0.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eReligion\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.31 (0.063)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo religion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (0.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (2.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChristian\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e167 (86.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e161 (78.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eIslam\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22 (11.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (13.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOther religion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 (2.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (5.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEducational level\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.14 (\u003cb\u003e0.000***)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo formal education\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (5.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30 (14.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePrimary/JHS level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32 (16.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (23.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.96 (0.84\u0026ndash;4.55)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.10 (0.88\u0026ndash;5.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.096\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSecondary level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e77 (39.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e90 (43.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.57 (1.18\u0026ndash;5.59)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.21 (0.97\u0026ndash;5.05)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.060\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTertiary level\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e75 (38.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37 (18%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.08 (2.69\u0026ndash;13.76)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.22 (1.73\u0026ndash;10.25)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.002*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eOccupation\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e21.54 (0.0534)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUnemployed\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (4.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (5.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudent\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e67 (34.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50 (24.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGovernment worker\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37 (19.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (9.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTrader\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49 (25.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e62 (30.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFarmer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 (5.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28 (13.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e22 (11.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36 (17.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eMonthly income\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.89 (\u003cb\u003e0.001***)\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;500\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e30 (15.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (25.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e501\u0026ndash;1000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48 (24.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e70 (34%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.19 (0.67\u0026ndash;2.12)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.08 (0.58-2.00)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.815\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;1000\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e40 (20.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e23 (11.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.01 (1.52\u0026ndash;5.96)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.54 (0.72\u0026ndash;3.29)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.266\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot applicable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e76 (39.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e61 (29.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.16 (1.23\u0026ndash;3.79)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.13 (0.600\u0026ndash;2.14)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.701\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEver heard of medical care services\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.93 (0.334)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e206 (99.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e193 (100%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 (0.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0 (0%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChallenges faced during medical care seeking\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.07 (\u003cb\u003e0.002*\u003c/b\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStigmatization\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19 (9.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15 (7.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLong queues\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e137 (66.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e99 (51.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.09 (0.53\u0026ndash;2.25)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.80 (0.29\u0026ndash;2.25)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.675\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInability to pay medical bills\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42 (20.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e73 (37.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.45 (0.21\u0026ndash;0.99)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.10 (0.98\u0026ndash;4.50)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.155\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 (4.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 (3.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.18 (0.34\u0026ndash;4.07)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.25 0.62\u0026ndash;2.54)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.524\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLocation of health facility\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.004 (0.948)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e98 (47.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e92 (47.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e109 (52.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e101 (52.3%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFamily support\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e37.26 (\u003cb\u003e0.000\u003c/b\u003e***)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eYes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e190 (91.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e130 (67.4%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNo\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17 (8.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e63 (32.6%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.18 (0.10\u0026ndash;0.33)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19 (0.11\u0026ndash;0.34)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.001***\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eType of family support\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.47 (\u003cb\u003e0.009\u003c/b\u003e*)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoral\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33 (17.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31 (23.9%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinancial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e91 (48.2%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e36 (27.7%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.42 (0.23\u0026ndash;0.79)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.40 (0.16\u0026ndash;0.79)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.41 (0.24\u0026ndash;0.71)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.43 (0.23\u0026ndash;0.80)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.47 (0.18\u0026ndash;1.22)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.42 (0.24\u0026ndash;0.74)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.008*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.122\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e0.003*\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSpiritual\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (5.8%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11 (8.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEscort to health facility\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52 (27.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e50 (38.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOthers\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (1.1%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 (1.5%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.40 (0.05\u0026ndash;2.91)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.31 (0.04\u0026ndash;2.54)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.276\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"7\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eχ2\u003c/b\u003e: chi-square, \u003cb\u003eaOR\u003c/b\u003e: adjusted odds ratio, \u003cb\u003eCI\u003c/b\u003e: confidence interval, \u003cb\u003ecOR\u003c/b\u003e: crude odds ratio, \u003cb\u003eRef\u003c/b\u003e: Reference point; \u003cb\u003e*p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05; ***p\u0026thinsp;\u0026le;\u0026thinsp;0.001\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn our study, we evaluated participants' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. Our findings indicate that 193 (48.2%) participants demonstrated readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. However, it's worth noting that this proportion is lower in comparison to a study conducted in Nigeria, where 61.3% of participants reported a similar inclination (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e). The discrepancy in the readiness to seek medical care between our study and the study conducted in Nigeria can be attributed to several factors such as (I) Cultural beliefs and practices which often influence healthcare-seeking behavior. Different regions and cultures may have varying perceptions of illness severity and the role of healthcare providers (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e), It is possible that cultural factors in Ghana, where our study was conducted, may have influenced participants to be less inclined to seek medical care compared to those in Nigeria, (II) Disparities in healthcare access and infrastructure between the two countries can also play a significant role (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e). If healthcare facilities are more accessible and affordable in Nigeria, it may encourage a higher proportion of individuals to seek medical care compared to those in Ghana who may face barriers to access, (III) Differences in healthcare education and awareness campaigns can impact individuals' understanding of the importance of seeking medical care (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e). If Nigeria had more extensive health education programs promoting early HSB, it could lead to a higher percentage of individuals willing to seek medical care. The differences in HSB between these regions underscore the need for context-specific policies and practices. A delicate and culturally sensitive approach to healthcare delivery and promotion is essential to ensure that individuals in these different regions are encouraged to seek medical care promptly, ultimately leading to better health outcomes for all.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe results of our study revealed a series of compelling and distinctive findings regarding the factors influencing individuals' readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. These findings emerged from an in-depth analysis that includes both bivariate and multivariate analyses. In the bivariate analysis, we initially identified several barriers significantly associated with the readiness to seek medical care, including educational level, challenges encountered when seeking medical care, family support, and type of family support. What set our study apart is the subsequent multivariate analysis, which allowed us to discern the most influential barriers among these. One of the most striking findings from our multivariate analysis was the substantial impact of educational level on individuals' readiness to seek medical care. Participants educated to the tertiary level exhibited a notably higher likelihood of seeking medical care compared to those with secondary and primary/JHS education levels. This finding underscores the pivotal role of education in health-related decision-making. Higher levels of education often equip individuals with the knowledge and awareness of the importance of timely healthcare access, enabling them to make informed decisions regarding their health (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFamily support emerged as a significant barrier in influencing healthcare-seeking behavior. Interestingly, while the presence of family support generally encourages individuals to seek medical care, it is not a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. Participants who reported having no form of family support were less likely to seek medical care. Moreover, those who lacked financial support from their family or relatives exhibited reduced readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. These findings suggest that family support is a double-edged sword. While it can serve as a crucial motivator for healthcare-seeking behavior, its absence or inadequacy can act as a substantial barrier, especially when it comes to financial resources. This highlights the importance of considering the role of family support in healthcare decisions. Another noteworthy discovery from our analysis pertains to the escorting of individuals by their family or relatives to healthcare facilities. Participants who were not accompanied by family or relatives were less likely to seek medical care. This finding underscores the social dimension of healthcare access. Family or relative escorts seem to play a facilitating role, providing not only physical but also emotional support during healthcare visits (\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR21 CR22 CR23\" citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe uniqueness of these findings underscores the complexity of factors influencing healthcare-seeking behavior. To harness the potential of these insights for the betterment of healthcare delivery, policymakers and healthcare providers must consider a multi-dimensional approach. This approach should include not only promoting higher levels of education but also addressing the specific needs of individuals lacking family support and providing resources to facilitate access for those who do not have family escorts.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eLimitations\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe cross-sectional design used in this study provides a snapshot of HSB at a single point in time. Thus, it cannot establish causal relationships between variables or capture changes over time. Data collection relied on self-reporting through questionnaires, which may introduce socially desirable response bias leading to overestimation or underestimation of certain behaviors or beliefs. Additionally, there may be other variables not considered in the study that could influence HBS.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eOur study highlights the critical issue of HSB. Findings from the study revealed that a substantial proportion of participants were unwilling to seek medical care in the event of illness. Notably, our study's unique and compelling findings resulted from a comprehensive analysis encompassing both bivariate and multivariate approaches. The multivariate analysis elucidated the influential factors such as educational level, family support, and the type of family support as barriers associated with the readiness to seek medical care. The complexity of these barriers influencing HSB revealed in our study necessitates a multi-dimensional approach. It underscores the need for policymakers, the government and healthcare providers to promote higher levels of education, address the needs of individuals lacking family support, and provide resources to facilitate access for those without family escorts. By addressing these factors, we can work towards equitable healthcare access and sustainable better health outcomes for diverse populations and consequently help to meet the SDG 3 which is good health and well-being.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eaOR\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAdjusted odds ratio\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003ecOR\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude odds ratio\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eHSB\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealthcare-seeking behavior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eHBM\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHealth Belief Model\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eNHIS\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNational Health Insurance Scheme\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eSDG\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSustainable Development Goal\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe study adhered to all methods in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The University of Health and Allied Sciences Research Ethics Committee (UHAS-REC) reviewed the study and approved it with a reference [ID: \u003cstrong\u003eUHAS-REC A.11 [56] 20-21\u003c/strong\u003e]. Permission was also obtained from the Hohoe Municipal Assembly before the commencement of the study. A written informed consent was obtained from all of the participants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of data and materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data generated or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors\u0026apos; contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMNA and VOC conceived and designed the study. VOC supervised the research work in the field. Data collection and analysis was carried out by MNA. SS wrote the initial draft and revised it. CMN checked the references. VOC revised and finalized the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors would like to acknowledge all our study participants for their cooperation and voluntary participation during the data collection.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOsei Asibey B, Agyemang S. Analysing the Influence of Health Insurance Status on Peoples\u0026rsquo; Health Seeking Behaviour in Rural Ghana. J Trop Med. 2017;2017.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKhadka S, Shrestha O, Koirala G, Acharya U, Adhikari G. Health seeking behavior and self-medication practice among undergraduate medical students of a teaching hospital: A cross-sectional study. Ann Med Surg. 2022;78:103776.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIkhioya GO, Akerele S. Global trend in technology: Its impact in healthcare seeking behavior and healthy life styles for better productivity. Unizik J Educ Res Policy Stud. 2021;5:16\u0026ndash;32.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOlenja J, Editorial J. 2003 [cited 2023 Sep 5]. pp. 61\u0026ndash;2. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16167716/\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16167716/\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLatunji OO, Akinyemi OO. Factors influencing health-seeking behaviour among civil servants in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ann Ibadan Postgrad Med [Internet]. 2018 Jun [cited 2023 Sep 5];16(1):52\u0026ndash;60. 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Front Public Heal. 2020;8:571475.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bhsr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Health Services Research](http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/BHSR/default.aspx","title":"BMC Health Services Research","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Barriers, Readiness, Medical care, Health, Behavior","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4776064/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4776064/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOptimal health plays a significant role in enhancing one's quality of life, empowering individuals to actively engage in productive endeavors for wealth generation. Recently, the unhealthy lifestyles of individuals resulting from their healthcare-seeking behavior have gained significant attention in research circles, both at the national and international levels, as his issue has become a central concern for healthcare stakeholders worldwide. This study evaluated the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethodology:\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWe employed a community-based cross-sectional study design in this study. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample 400 study participants. Data were collected with a paper-based questionnaire, coded and entered into Epi-Data version 4.6.0.2. Data analysis was carried out in STATA V.16.0.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResult\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, only 193 (48.2%) out of the 400 participants expressed readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness. Further analysis revealed that participants who were educated to the tertiary level were 4.2 times more likely to seek medical care than those with secondary and primary/JHS levels of education [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.2 (95% CI: 1.73\u0026ndash;10.25), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.002]. Participants who reported having no form of family support in the event of illness were 0.2 times less likely to seek medical care [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.2 (95% CI: 0.11\u0026ndash;0.34), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.001]. More specifically, participants who lacked financial support from their family/relatives were 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.4 (95% CI: 0.23\u0026ndash;0.80), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.008]. Furthermore, participants who were not escorted by their family/relatives to the health facility were also 0.4 times less likely to seek medical care in the event of illness [AOR\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.4 (95% CI: 0.24\u0026ndash;0.74), p\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.003].\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, our findings emphasize the complex interrelationship between individual, cultural, and structural factors in shaping healthcare-seeking behavior. Resolving these factors through targeted interventions and policies can enhance healthcare utilization, reduce health disparities, and ultimately contribute to the overall well-being and socio-economic development of the community and the country at large.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Breaking down healthcare hurdles: understanding the barriers to readiness to seek medical care in the event of illness among residents in Ghana: a community-based cross-sectional study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-08-26 12:52:40","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-4776064/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-03-06T05:26:49+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-03-04T13:32:46+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"323646945360812809482897292280476890770","date":"2025-02-04T19:00:28+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-01-20T15:01:04+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"69703523523812172051334996680000992504","date":"2024-12-23T14:02:01+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"72628190022510256225371602676913007089","date":"2024-11-20T12:29:14+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2024-10-10T05:31:08+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"272032716363697420863290574016845185989","date":"2024-09-16T01:59:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"106070347045427057067132847771180730814","date":"2024-09-14T15:49:20+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"242104310010376377828805285526374472722","date":"2024-09-13T06:27:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"137825895450350274925936009558249216957","date":"2024-09-11T14:09:30+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2024-08-19T11:45:17+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2024-07-24T03:16:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2024-07-23T10:46:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2024-07-23T10:46:00+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Health Services Research","date":"2024-07-21T09:02:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-health-services-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"bhsr","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Health Services Research](http://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/BHSR/default.aspx","title":"BMC Health Services Research","twitterHandle":"BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"906f0caa-491c-4ec1-8eb6-bdd2cea1c396","owner":[],"postedDate":"August 26th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-14T13:23:04+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-08-26 12:52:40","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-4776064","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-4776064","identity":"rs-4776064","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}