article · PLoS ONE
This study explored factors influencing health-seeking behaviours for reproductive, maternal, child, and neonatal (RMNCH) health in the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. Using a qualitative cross-sectional design, data were collected from 50 individual interviews and 17 focused group discussions involving women, their partners, health workers, and administrators across different settlement types. The analysis, guided by the Socio-ecologic Model, identified significant barriers at multiple levels. These included individual factors like low socio-economic status and poor health information exposure, interpersonal factors such as male dominance in decision-making, and organisational/policy issues like fear of modern practices, inadequate facilities, and resource shortages. Overall, a combination of socio-economic, bureaucratic, and resource-related challenges hinders health-seeking behaviours in the community.
Understanding the diverse barriers to reproductive, maternal, child, and neonatal health-seeking behaviours is crucial for improving health outcomes in communities like the Somali region. This research provides a multi-faceted view, highlighting areas where interventions can be targeted to enhance access to and utilisation of essential health services.
The abstract describes research identifying barriers to health-seeking behaviours. It does not indicate a direct commercialisation pathway, product, or service. The findings are foundational for public health policy and programme development, rather than for commercial application.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
INTRODUCTION: Health-seeking behaviours are influenced by internal and external contributing factors. Internal factors include attitudes, beliefs and core values, life adaptation skills, psychological disposition whereas external factors include social support, media, socio-cultural, political, economic and biological aspects, health care systems, environmental stressors and societal laws and regulations. This study was meant to explore factors affecting health-seeking behaviors in the Somali regional state of Ethiopia. The study employed a cross-sectional study design using qualitative data collection tools. Data were collected from 50 individual interviews and 17 focused group discussions (FGD) on women of reproductive age and their partners, health extension workers (HEWs), health care providers and health administrators. To ensure representativeness, the region was categorized into three zones based on their settlement characteristics as agrarian, pastoralist and semi-pastoralist. Two districts (one from high and the other from low performance areas) were selected from each category. The data were entered, coded, categorized and analyzed using NVIVO version 11 software. The Socio-ecologic Model (SEM) was used for categorization. RESULTS: Using the social ecological model, the following major barriers for health seeking behaviors were identified. Low socio-demographic and economic status, poor exposure to health information or mass media, detrimental preferences of breast feeding methods and short acting family planning (FP) methods were identified barriers at the individual level; male dominance in decision making, the influence of the husband and society and the role of word of mouth were identified barriers at the interpersonal level and lack of acceptance, fear of modern health practices, unclean health facility environment, lack of well-equipped facilities shortage of trained staffs and barriers relating to distance and transportation were barriers identified at organizational and policy level. CONCLUSION: Overall, factors at various level affected health seeking behaviors of the Somali community. Socio-demographic and economic factors, non-responsive bureaucratic system, shortages or absence of medical supplies and human resources, lack of supportive supervision, a shortage of water and electricity at the health facility and an unclean service delivery environment are significant barriers to health-seeking behaviors for the community.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0212227
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
