Health-Seeking Behaviour in Healthcare

Health-Seeking Behaviour

• Definition: The process by which individuals perceive, evaluate, and respond to their health problems.
• Factors influencing health-seeking behaviour:
  • Demographic factors: age, gender, education, income
  • Psychological factors: perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers
  • Social factors: social norms, family influences, cultural beliefs
  • Environmental factors: access to healthcare, healthcare system characteristics
• Models of health-seeking behaviour:
  • Health Belief Model (HBM): focuses on individual perceptions and beliefs about health and illness
  • Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB): emphasizes the role of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control
  • Self-Efficacy Theory: highlights the importance of confidence in one's ability to perform health-related behaviours

Social Support Networks

• Definition: Informal networks of family, friends, and community members that provide emotional, informational, and tangible assistance to individuals dealing with illness.
• Types of social support:
  • Emotional support: providing emotional comfort, empathy, and reassurance
  • Instrumental support: providing practical help, such as transportation or household chores
  • Informational support: providing information, advice, and guidance
• Functions of social support networks:
  • Stress reduction: buffering the negative effects of stress on mental and physical health
  • Coping assistance: helping individuals develop coping strategies and manage illness-related tasks
  • Psychological protection: enhancing self-esteem, confidence, and motivation
  • Health promotion: encouraging healthy behaviours and adherence to treatment regimens
• Importance of social support networks:
  • Improved mental and physical health outcomes
  • Enhanced quality of life
  • Increased patient satisfaction and adherence to treatment
  • Reduced healthcare utilization and costs

Health-Seeking Behaviour

• Health-seeking behaviour is the process of perceiving, evaluating, and responding to health problems.
• Demographic factors influencing health-seeking behaviour include age, gender, education, and income.
• Psychological factors include perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers to healthcare.
• Social factors comprise social norms, family influences, and cultural beliefs.
• Environmental factors involve access to healthcare and healthcare system characteristics.
• The Health Belief Model (HBM) focuses on individual perceptions and beliefs about health and illness.
• The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) emphasizes attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control.
• Self-Efficacy Theory highlights the importance of confidence in one's ability to perform health-related behaviours.

Social Support Networks

• Social support networks are informal networks of family, friends, and community members providing emotional, informational, and tangible assistance.
• Emotional support provides emotional comfort, empathy, and reassurance.
• Instrumental support provides practical help, such as transportation or household chores.
• Informational support provides information, advice, and guidance.
• Social support networks reduce stress and help individuals develop coping strategies.
• They provide psychological protection by enhancing self-esteem, confidence, and motivation.
• They promote healthy behaviours and adherence to treatment regimens.
• Social support networks improve mental and physical health outcomes, quality of life, and patient satisfaction.
• They increase adherence to treatment and reduce healthcare utilization and costs.

Understand the process of health-seeking behaviour, including the demographic, psychological, social, and environmental factors that influence it. Learn about the various models of health-seeking behaviour.