Correlates Between Health Seeking Behaviour and Health Status; A Cross-Sectional Study Among the Elderly Group in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the correlates between health seeking behavior and health status among the Elderly group in Osun State, Nigeria.Material & Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted in Osun State between July-October 2020. A multistage sampling method was used to select 433 people aged 60 years and older. The participants were interviewed face-to-face using a well-structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics was used to analyse data. Results:Findings from the study revealed that majority (77.8%) of the respondents had poor health status. Key findings showed that majority (72.4%) of respondents had good health seeking behaviour. Furthermore, age (p<0.05), marital status (p<0.05), educational status (p<0.05) and monthly income (p<0.05) were statistically associated with the health status of the elderly people.Conclusions:An adequate understanding of health seeking behaviour and its correlates with health status especially among the elderly people is needed to improve the health care in Nigeria. Although the elderly people have a good health seeking behaviour, it does not however translate to good health status. Therefore, strategies to improve the health status including improving their financial status should be developed with adequate health literacy. Elderly people should learn the importance of regular health examinations to promote health, prevent diseases, and slow the progress of chronic diseases.