Differences In Healthcare Seeking Behaviors Research Articles

Healthcare Seeking Behavior and Disease Perception Toward Cholera and Acute Diarrhea Among Populations Living in Cholera High-Priority Hotspots in Shashemene, Ethiopia.

Healthcare seeking behavior (HSB) and community perception on cholera can influence its management. We conducted a cross-sectional survey to generate evidence on cholera associated HSB and disease perception in populations living in cholera hotspots in Ethiopia. A total of 870 randomly selected households (HHs) in Shashemene Town (ST) and Shashemene Woreda (SW) participated in our survey in January 2022. Predominant HHs (91.0%; 792/870) responded "primary health center" as the nearest healthcare facility (HCF). Around 57.4% (247/430) of ST HHs traveled <30 minutes to the nearest HCF. In SW, 60.2% (265/440) of HHs travelled over 30 minutes and 25.9% (114/440) over 4 km. Two-thirds of all HHs paid <USD1 travel cost; SW residents had slightly higher cost burden. When cholera symptoms occur, 68.0% (83/122), 75.5% (114/151), 100.0% (52/52), and 100.0% (426/426) of 0-4, 5-14, 15-17, and ≥18 years, respectively, in ST sought healthcare at our sentinel-HCFs. In SW, younger children visited our sentinel-HCFs slightly more (82.6%, 86.7% in 1-4, 5-14 years, respectively) than older age groups (74.4%, 75.6% in 15-17, ≥ 18 years, respectively). Relatively more adults in ST (12.0%; 51/426) sought over-the-counter drugs at pharmacies than those in SW (2.5%; 11/435). Around 73.8% (642/870) of HHs were aware of cholera disease and 66.7% (428/642) of HHs considered eating unclean food as main causes of cholera. Variations in cholera prevention practices between rural and urban residents were shown. Addressing differences in HSB per age groups is needed for community engagement for early case detection and case management; critical in reducing cholera deaths and transmission.

Repeated doxycycline treatment among patients with neuroborreliosis: a nationwide, population-based, registry-based, matched cohort study

Objectives To investigate receipt of antibiotics among patients with neuroborreliosis after initial antibiotic treatment, likely attributable to posttreatment symptoms. Methods We performed a nationwide, matched, population-based cohort study in Denmark (2009-2021). We included all Danish patients with neuroborreliosis, i.e. a positive Borrelia burgdorferi intrathecal antibody index test and a cerebrospinal fluid leukocyte count ≥10 × 106/l, and initially treated with doxycycline. To form a comparison cohort, we randomly extracted individuals from the general population matched 1:10 to patients with neuroborreliosis on date of birth and sex. The main outcome was receipt of doxycycline, and the secondary outcome was receipt of phenoxymethylpenicillin. We calculated short-term (<1 year) and long-term (≥1 year) hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results We included 463 patients with neuroborreliosis and 2,315 comparison cohort members. Compared with the comparison cohort members, patients with neuroborreliosis initially treated with doxycycline had increased receipt of additional doxycycline within 1 year (HR: 38.6, 95%CI: 17.5–85.0) and ≥1 years (HR: 3.5, 95%CI: 1.9–6.3). Compared with comparison cohort members, patients with neuroborreliosis had no increased receipt of phenoxymethylpenicillin (<1 year HR 1.0, 95%CI: 0.7–1.3; ≥1 years HR 1.2, 95%CI: 0.9–1.5). Conclusions After initial antibiotic treatment, patients with neuroborreliosis have increased receipt of doxycycline particularly within one year after initial antibiotic therapy but also subsequently. The lack of increased receipt of phenoxymethylpenicillin suggests that the receipt of doxycycline was not merely due to differences in healthcare-seeking behaviour, increased risk of early Lyme borreliosis due to exposure, or differences in antibacterial usage in general.

Revisiting the symptom iceberg based on the Danish symptom cohort – Symptom experiences and healthcare-seeking behaviour in the general Danish population in 2022

IntroductionHealthcare-seeking behaviour may change over time, and some groups are more likely to avoid relevant help seeking, which possibly contributes to social inequity in health. Thus, we developed an expansion of and follow-up to the Danish Symptom Cohort (DaSC) from 2012 and formed the DaSC II, which encompassed a population-based questionnaire study investigating symptoms and healthcare-seeking behaviour. In this paper, we describe the conceptual framework, development and content validity of the questionnaire and a responder analysis of the participants in the DaSC II. We present the symptom iceberg in the Danish general population by estimating the prevalence of symptoms and proportion of contacts to general practitioners (GPs) in 2022. Moreover, we discuss differences in healthcare-seeking behaviour with reference to the 2012 DaSC. Methods100,000 randomly selected Danish citizens aged ≥20 years, along with the 44,713 respondents from the 2012 cohort, were invited to participate in a survey. The questionnaire was pilot and field tested prior to distribution. Descriptive statistics were used to estimate symptom prevalence and proportion of GP contacts, and to execute the respondent analysis. ResultsNine out of ten respondents reported at least one symptom within the preceding four weeks and reported an average of 4.6 symptoms. One in four symptoms were presented to a GP. The highest proportion of GP contacts was found for haematuria (63.3 %) and shortness of breath (51.8 %). For several symptoms, differences between the sexes were found in relation to both prevalence and GP contacts. The proportion of GP contacts was higher in 2022 than in 2012 and was most pronounced for general, frequently experienced symptoms and to a lesser extent for cancer alarm symptoms. ConclusionMany symptoms go unreported, which may delay relevant diagnosis; more research on certain symptom categories and population subgroups is needed. Future studies based on the DaSC II form a basis for interventions targeting symptom awareness, healthcare-seeking behaviour and social equity in society and health.

Representation of Women Among Individuals With Mild Variants in ABCA4-Associated Retinopathy

Previous studies indicated that female sex might be a modifier in Stargardt disease, which is an ABCA4-associated retinopathy. To investigate whether women are overrepresented among individuals with ABCA4-associated retinopathy who are carrying at least 1 mild allele or carrying nonmild alleles. Literature data, data from 2 European centers, and a new study. Data from a Radboudumc database and from the Rotterdam Eye Hospital were used for exploratory hypothesis testing. Studies investigating the sex ratio in individuals with ABCA4-AR and data from centers that collected ABCA4 variant and sex data. The literature search was performed on February 1, 2023; data from the centers were from before 2023. Random-effects meta-analyses were conducted to test whether the proportions of women among individuals with ABCA4-associated retinopathy with mild and nonmild variants differed from 0.5, including subgroup analyses for mild alleles. Sensitivity analyses were performed excluding data with possibly incomplete variant identification. χ2 Tests were conducted to compare the proportions of women in adult-onset autosomal non-ABCA4-associated retinopathy and adult-onset ABCA4-associated retinopathy and to investigate if women with suspected ABCA4-associated retinopathy are more likely to obtain a genetic diagnosis. Data analyses were performed from March to October 2023. Proportion of women per ABCA4-associated retinopathy group. The exploratory testing included sex ratio comparisons for individuals with ABCA4-associated retinopathy vs those with other autosomal retinopathies and for individuals with ABCA4-associated retinopathy who underwent genetic testing vs those who did not. Women were significantly overrepresented in the mild variant group (proportion, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.56-0.62; P < .001) but not in the nonmild variant group (proportion, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.46-0.54; P = .89). Sensitivity analyses confirmed these results. Subgroup analyses on mild variants showed differences in the proportions of women. Furthermore, in the Radboudumc database, the proportion of adult women among individuals with ABCA4-associated retinopathy (652/1154 = 0.56) was 0.10 (95% CI, 0.05-0.15) higher than among individuals with other retinopathies (280/602 = 0.47). This meta-analysis supports the likelihood that sex is a modifier in developing ABCA4-associated retinopathy for individuals with a mild ABCA4 allele. This finding may be relevant for prognosis predictions and recurrence risks for individuals with ABCA4-associated retinopathy. Future studies should further investigate whether the overrepresentation of women is caused by differences in the disease mechanism, by differences in health care-seeking behavior, or by health care discrimination between women and men with ABCA4-AR.

Public perception of dermatologists in Europe: Results from a population-based survey.

The public perception of dermatology has been poorly investigated in Europe. To determine the general public's perception of dermatologists in Europe. This multinational, cross-sectional study was conducted within the framework of the EADV population-based survey on the 'Burden of skin diseases in Europe'. Data were collected using a web-based online survey on a representative sample of the general populations aged 18 years or more of 27 European countries. Proportional quota sampling with replacement design was used for each country. A total of 44,689 adult participants responded to the questionnaire, of whom 18,004 visited a dermatologist in the preceding 3 years. The dermatologist was the second most often visited specialist among all medical specialties, with 69.7%, 72.1%, 42.1% and 78.1% of participants in Western Europe (WE), Eastern Europe (EE), Northern Europe (NE) and Southern Europe (SE), respectively, having consulted a dermatologist over the past 24 months. Most participants across all regions agreed that the dermatologist was the first healthcare provider for chronic skin diseases (61.9% in WE, 69.8% in EE, 45.7% in NE and 60.4% in SE) and for skin cancers (65.5% in WE, 67.6% in EE, 42.4% in NE and 63.0% in SE). The five most common reasons for visiting a dermatologist among all participants were: naevi check-up or skin cancer screening (20.2%), chronic skin diseases (16.5%), acute skin diseases (12.4%), cosmetic advice or procedure (10.2%), hyperpigmentation or congenital lesions (9.1%) and hair or nail disorder (7.7%). Most participants (84.6% in WE, 82.5% in EE, 78.3% in NE and 82.8% in SE) were very swatisfied/somewhat satisfied with the service provided. Our study findings underscore the central role of dermatologists in skin health and highlights them as valued and trusted care providers across Europe. Understanding the perceived position of the dermatologist is the first step in improving health policy development and implementation. Notably, access to a dermatologist was lowest in NE, probably reflecting differences in healthcare organizational structures or possibly cultural differences in healthcare seeking behaviour.

Gender differences in vision health-seeking behavior and vision health outcomes among rural Chinese schoolchildren by birth order and family size

BackgroundThe gender gap remains a major impediment in the path toward equality, and it is especially wide in low-income countries. Gender differences in health-seeking behaviors may be a factor. Family size and childbirth order are two critical factors affecting family resource allocation. This study examines gender differences in healthcare-seeking behaviors among children with visual impairment in rural China across different family structures (birth order and family size).MethodsWe draw on a dataset containing 19,934 observations constructed by combining data from 252 different school-level surveys spanning two provinces. The surveys were all conducted in 2012 using uniform survey instruments and data collection protocols in randomly selected schools across western provinces in rural China. The sample children range in grades from 4 to 5. Our analysis compares rural girls with rural boys regarding vision health outcome and behavior (vision examination and correction).ResultsThe findings revealed that girls have worse vision than boys. Regarding vision health behaviors, girls have a lower overall vision examination rate than boys. There is no gender difference when the sample student is the only child or the youngest child in the family, but there is still a gender difference when the sample student is the oldest child in the family or the middle child in the birth order. When it comes to vision correction behavior, boys are more likely to own eyeglasses than girls are for groups of students with mild visual impairment, even when the sample student is the only child in the family. However, when the sample student has another brother or sister (the sample student is the youngest, the oldest child in the family, or the middle child in the birth order), the gender difference disappears.ConclusionsGender differences in vision health outcomes are correlated with gender differences in vision health-seeking behaviors among rural children. Depending on the birth order and family size, gender disparities in visual health practices vary. In the future, consideration should be given to providing medical subsidies to reduce the cost of vision health behaviors and to provide information interventions to change gender inequality in households and promote equality in children’s vision health behaviors.Trial registrationThe trial was approved by the Stanford University Institutional Review Board (Protocol No. ISRCTN03252665). Permission was received from local Boards of Education in each region and the principals of all schools. The principles of the Declaration of Helsinki were followed throughout. Written informed consent was obtained from at least one parent for all child participants.

Elderly people’s preferences for healthcare facilities in Shanghai: gender features and influencing factor analysis

BackgroundChina has one of the fastest paces of the growing aging population, High-level policymakers have recently recognized the aging population presents significant challenges to the Chinese healthcare system. In this context, the healthcare-seeking behaviors of the elderly population have become an essential field of study. It is necessary to understand their access to health services and to improve their quality of life, as well as to help policymakers to formulate healthcare policy. The study empirically investigates the factors influencing the elderly population’s healthcare-seeking behaviors in Shanghai, China, especially in choosing the quality of healthcare facilities to visit.MethodsWe designed a cross-sectional study. The data of this study were derived from the “Shanghai elderly medical demand characteristics questionnaire” in the middle of November to early December 2017. A total of 625 individuals were included in the final sample. Logistic regression was adopted to investigate the differences in healthcare-seeking behaviors between elderly people when suffer from mild illness, severe illness and follow-up treatment. Next, the differences in gender were also discussed.ResultsFactors affecting the healthcare-seeking behaviors of the elderly differ in mild illness and severe illness situations. For mild illness, demographic factors (gender and age) and socioeconomic factors (income and employment) play an important role in elderly healthcare choices. Female and older elderlies are more likely to choose local, lower-quality facilities, whereas those with high income and private employment are more likely to choose higher-quality facilities. For severe illness, socioeconomic factors (income and employment) are important. Furthermore, individuals with basic medical insurance are more likely to choose lower-quality facilities.ConclusionThis study has shown that the affordability of public health services should be addressed. Medical policy support may be an important way to reduce the gap in access to medical services. We should pay attention to the gender differences in the elderly’s choice of medical treatment behavior, consider the differences in the needs of male and female elderly. our findings are only for elderly Chinese participants in the greater Shanghai area.

Impact of study design on vaccine effectiveness estimates of 2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine doses in patients with stage 5 chronic kidney disease

In observational studies, the World Health Organization recommends the test-negative design (TND) to assess corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine effectiveness (VE), due its accuracy and efficiency.1 The TND is a variation of the case–control design that restricts the study population to individuals who are tested for severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and have symptoms consistent with COVID-19.2 Although this design helps reduce bias resulting from differences in healthcare-seeking behavior,1 a major barrier when using administrative healthcare data is the requirement for individuals who are tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection to fulfill a specific case definition (i.e., being symptomatic), which requires symptom data to be well recorded.

Understanding sex-related differences in healthcare utilisation among patients with inflammatory arthritis: a population-based study

ObjectivesOur aim was to compare patterns of musculoskeletal-related healthcare utilisation between male and female patients before and after the diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis (IA).MethodsWe used Ontario administrative health data to...

Prevalence and determinants of hypertension and associated comorbidities in non-pregnant women of reproductive age group (15-49 years): Evidence from National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), India.

Hypertension in women is generally underestimated and undiagnosed as women are considered to be at a lower risk of cardiovascular disease than men in addition to gender-related differences in healthcare seeking behaviour and access to healthcare. As hypertension extends a substantial impact on the cardiovascular health of women and can pose an enormous burden on the healthcare systems in India, identification of its risk factors along with co-morbidities becomes necessary for planning of cardiovascular risk prevention, reduction and mitigation interventions. This study aimed at estimating the prevalence and associated demographic and lifestyle risk factors of hypertension (HT) along with examining comorbidity patterns in women of reproductive age (15-49 years) in India. We analyzed data of 667,258 non-pregnant women of the reproductive age group (15-49 years) from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 dataset. We used maps to present the spatial patterns of HT in women across states and union territories and logistic regression modelling to identify associated factors. The overall prevalence of HT was 10.9% among women (15-49 years), with 60.7% of these having at least one comorbidity. While the prevalence of 'HT only' was higher in women 15-29 years of age (48.0%), the prevalence of HT with co-morbidities was higher in women aged ≥30 years (63.3%). Logistic regression analysis showed higher odds of 'HT and ³ two comorbidities' with age ³30 years (AOR 3.46, 95% CI 3.23-3.72), higher odds of 'HT only' with alcohol consumption (AOR 1.32, 95%CI 1.23-1.42), and higher odds of 'HT and one comorbidity' with BMI ³23 Kg/m2 (AOR 1.17, 95%CI 1.14-1.21). Also, region-wise, the prevalence of HT was highest in the states of Uttar Pradesh (11.6%), Madhya Pradesh (8.0%), and Assam (6.9%). The high prevalence of HT among women aged 15-49 years has serious medical, socio-economic, implications that warrant urgent and immediate gender-specific healthcare interventions. Along with lifestyle modifications, early and timely screening of HT, increasing awareness among young school-going girls, including rural areas, could flatten the HT population curve in India.

Abstract 14124: Long-term Cardiovascular Mortality Disparities By Race In The Us Adult Population

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality and disproportionately affects vulnerable populations. Among disparities in overall mortality, Black Americans experience higher mortality rates than White Americans. However, it is unknown, if the same disparities persist after long-term follow-up. In this study, we assessed the hypothesis that Non-Hispanic Black Americans experience higher 10-year cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality follow-up than Non-Hispanic White Americans. We analyzed data on adults (≥ 20 years) from the 1999-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, with mortality data obtained through 2015. The causes of death for adults (N=4037) were defined using the International Classification of Disease coding (ICD-10). Complex Samples Cox regression was used to assess if diabetes status modified the relationship between race and CVD-mortality. Out of the respondents (N=4037), 17.7% of Non-Hispanic Blacks individuals died from CVD versus 16.4% among Non-Hispanic White counterparts. During the 11-year follow-up, the hazard ratio (HR) for CVD-mortality among Non-Hispanic Black Adults, with adjustment for age and gender only, was 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.11, 1.67]. Over the age of 20, there is higher CVD-mortality in Non-Hispanic Black men (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.91–2.05, p &gt; .05) and women (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.56–3.99, p &lt; .01) than in their White counterparts even after controlling for medical (obesity, CVD, diabetes) and demographic (education, age, food insecurity level, and poverty level) variables. In conclusion, Black Americans experience higher probability of death from cardiovascular disease in 10-year follow-up than other races. Due to the chronicity of CVD, disparities are compounded over a long period of time. The observed ethnic disparities in treatment and control, with the relative deficits observed in Black Americans, are potentially due to ethnic differences in healthcare-seeking behaviors and access to care. Policy considerations should address how to improve equitable screening and prevention, as it pertains to race.

Women\u2019s barriers for contacting general practice when experiencing gynecological cancer symptoms: a population-based study

BackgroundA prerequisite for general practitioners (GPs) being able to refer patients with gynecological cancer alarm symptoms for further investigations is that individuals present the symptoms to the GP. Not all symptoms are presented to the GP, and knowledge of barriers for healthcare-seeking is sparse. The aim of this study was to analyze associations between age, socioeconomic status, and common barriers (“being too embarrassed”, “being too busy”, “worried about wasting the doctors time” and “worried what the GP might find”) towards GP contact with gynecological alarm symptoms.MethodsNationwide population-based study in Denmark based on a random sample of 51 090 women aged 20 years or older. A web-based questionnaire regarding experience of four predefined alarm symptoms of gynecological cancer, decisions about contact to GPs, and barriers towards GP contact was distributed. Information about socioeconomic status was collected from Statistics Denmark.ResultsA total of 26 466 women (54.5%) completed the questionnaire. The proportion of women with no contact to the GP varied between 64.6% and 78.1% for postmenopausal bleeding and pain during intercourse, respectively. Between 32.3% (bleeding during intercourse) and 45.3% (postmenopausal bleeding) of the women reported no barriers for GP contact. The proportions of reported barriers ranged from 7.5% for being too embarrassed (pelvic pain) to 26.8% for being too busy (bleeding during intercourse).Women aged 40–59 years had lower odds of reporting “being too embarrassed” and “worried about wasting the GP´s time”, while women aged 60 + years of age had lower odds of reporting “being too busy” compared to the youngest age group.Women in the highest income groups had lower odds of reporting “being too embarrassed” and “wasting the GP´s time” compared to those with a low income, while those with high educational level had lower odds of reporting “being too embarrassed” and “worried what the GP might find” compared to those with low educational level.ConclusionsMore than half of the respondents with no contact to the GP, reported one or more barriers towards GP contact. Lower age and socioeconomic status were significantly associated with higher odds of reporting barriers. As this may explain the differences in healthcare seeking behavior, healthcare planners, policy makers and clinicians should be aware of these findings.

A comparison of passive surveillance and active cluster-based surveillance for dengue fever in southern coastal Ecuador

BackgroundDengue is a major emerging infectious disease, endemic throughout the tropics and subtropics, with approximately 2.5 billion people at risk globally. Active (AS) and passive surveillance (PS), when combined, can improve our understanding of dengue’s complex disease dynamics to guide effective, targeted public health interventions. The objective of this study was to compare findings from the Ministry of Health (MoH) PS to a prospective AS arbovirus research study in Machala, Ecuador in 2014 and 2015.MethodsDengue cases in the PS system were compared to laboratory confirmed acute dengue illness cases that entered the AS study during the study period. Variables of interest included age class and sex. Outbreak detection curves by epidemiologic week, overall cumulative incidence and age-specific incidence proportions were calculated. Descriptive statistics were tabulated for all variables of interest. Chi-square tests were performed to compare demographic characteristics between the AS and PS data sets in 2014 and 2015.Results177 and 245 cases were identified from 1/1/2014 to 12/31/2015 by PS and AS, respectively; nine cases appeared in both systems. AS identified a greater number of laboratory-confirmed cases in 2014, accounting for more than 60% of dengue cases in the study area. In 2015, the opposite trend was observed with PS identifying 60% of the dengue cases in the study area. Peak transmission time in laboratory confirmed dengue illness, as noted by AS and PS was similar in 2014, whereas earlier detection (7 weeks) was observed by AS in 2015. Younger patients were more frequently identified by PS, while older patients were identified more frequently by AS. The cumulative incidence proportion for laboratory confirmed dengue illness reported via PS to the MoH was 4.12 cases per 10,000 residents in 2014, and 2.21 cases per 10,000 residents in 2015.ConclusionsEach surveillance system captured distinct demographic subgroups within the Machala population, possibly due to differences in healthcare seeking behaviors, access to care, emerging threats of other viruses transmitted by the same mosquito vector and/or differences in clinical presentation. Integrating AS with pre-existing PS can aid in identifying additional cases in previously underdiagnosed subpopulations, improving our understanding of disease dynamics, and facilitating the implementation of timely public health interventions.

Male predominance in reported Visceral Leishmaniasis cases: Nature or nurture? A comparison of population-based with health facility-reported data.

BackgroundBangladesh, India, and Nepal aim for the elimination of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL), a systemic parasitic infectious disease, as a public health problem by 2020. For decades, male patients have comprised the majority of reported VL cases in this region. By comparing this reported VL sex ratio to the one observed in population-based studies conducted in the Indian subcontinent, we tested the working hypothesis that mainly socio-cultural gender differences in healthcare-seeking behavior explain this gender imbalance.Methodology/Principal findingsWe compared the observed sex ratio of male versus female among all VL cases reported by the health system in Nepal and in the two most endemic states in India with that observed in population-based cohort studies in India and Nepal. Also, we assessed male sex as a potential risk factor for seroprevalence at baseline, seroconversion, and VL incidence in the same population-based data. The male/female ratio among VL cases reported by the health systems was 1.40 (95% CI 1.37–1.43). In the population cohort data, the age- and study site-adjusted male to female risk ratio was 1.27 (95% CI 1.08–1.51). Also, males had a 19% higher chance of being seropositive at baseline in the population surveys (RR 1.19; 95% CI 1.11–1.27), while we observed no significant difference in seroconversion rate between both sexes at the DAT cut-off titer defined as the primary endpoint.Conclusions/SignificanceOur population-based data show that male sex is a risk factor for VL, and not only as a socio-cultural determinant. Biological sex-related differences likely play an important role in the pathogenesis of this disease.

Is There a Direct Causal Effect of Education on Dementia? A Swedish Natural Experiment on 1.3 Million Individuals

Background: Education is related to dementia risk. Researchers in public health often treat education as a modifiable risk factor, implying that prolonging education may reduce dementia incidence. This reasoning rests on the largely untested assumption that education has causal effects on dementia risk. Methods: We used variance in education induced by a compulsory schooling reform, which extended Swedish primary school (Folkskola) from 6 to 7 years as a tool for studying direct causal effects of education on dementia risk. The reform was implemented gradually in school districts and had minor spillover effects. We studied 18 birth cohorts (1920-1937), excluding individuals with unknown reform status, those who died, emigrated, or received dementia diagnosis prior to 65 years of age. The outcome was dementia diagnosis in the National Inpatient and Cause of Death Registers. The reform allowed us to study direct effects of prolonged education with high validity and statistical precision. In the main analyses, we employed sex-stratified Cox survival models with stratified baseline hazards at the school-district level, used chronological age as the time scale, and dummy-coded cohort effects. Findings: 1,341,842 individuals were included. The reform did not affect the risk of dementia diagnosis in a statistically significant way. The estimates and associated confidence intervals (women: HR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.97-1.04; men: HR = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.99-1.06; all: HR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.98-1.04) indicate that any direct effect is likely of a negligible or very small magnitude. Sensitivity analyses targeting pre-post changes, differences in healthcare-seeking behavior, and impact of exposure misclassification left results essentially unaltered. Interpretation: Longer education, at least in the absence of sizable spillover effects to adult socio-economic factors, cannot be uncritically assumed to substantially reduce the risk of moderate to severe dementia. Funding Statement: FORTE (2013-2277) and Swedish Research Council (446-2013-7189) to ML. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Regional Ethical Review Board in Stockholm (Case number: 2010/1185-31/5).

Healthcare seeking behaviour of students living on their own compared to those living in the parental home: a cross-sectional study.

Objective This study aimed to investigate differences in healthcare seeking behaviour and barriers between students living in the parental home and those living on their own. Participants Five hundred and six second year students of the University of Amsterdam (UvA), interviewed in March and April 2015. Methods In a paper-and-pencil survey, questions were asked about the students' healthcare seeking behaviour and barriers. Differences according to residency were analysed with χ2-tests and regression models. Results The frequency of healthcare seeking behaviour varied according to residency, but none of the differences were statistically significant. Yet, a proportion of students living on their own visited primary healthcare providers less often after they changed residency (23.7% for general practitioner and 41.8% for dentist). Travel distance and lack of time were most often mentioned as barriers to students living on their own. Conclusion The barriers implicate the importance of encouraging students living on their own to switch to a new general practitioner or dentist.

The influence of gender and other patient characteristics on health care-seeking behaviour: a QUALICOPC study

BackgroundCanadians’ health care-seeking behaviour for physical and mental health issues was examined using the international Quality and Cost of Primary Care (QUALICOPC) survey that was conducted in 2013 in Canada.MethodThis study used the cross-sectional Patient Experiences Survey collected from 7260 patients in 759 practices across 10 Canadian provinces as part of the QUALICOPC study. A Responsive Care Scale (RCS) was constructed to reflect the degree of health care-seeking behaviour across 11 health conditions. Using several patient characteristics as independent variables, four multiple regression analyses were conducted.ResultsPatients’ self-reports indicated that there were gender differences in health care-seeking behaviour, with women reporting they visited their primary care provider to a greater extent than did men for both physical and mental health concerns. Overall, patients were less likely to seek care for mental health concerns in comparison to physical health concerns. For both women and men, the results of the regressions indicated that age, illness prevention, trust in physicians and chronic conditions were important factors when explaining health care-seeking behaviours for mental health concerns.ConclusionThis study confirms the gender differences in health care-seeking behaviour advances previous research by exploring in detail the variables predicting differences in health care-seeking behaviour for men and women. The variables were better predictors of health care-seeking behaviour in response to mental health concerns than physical health concerns, likely reflecting greater variation among those seeking mental health care. This study has implications for those working to improve barriers to health care access by identifying those more likely to engage in health care-seeking behaviours and the variables predicting health care-seeking. Consequently, those who are not accessing primary care can be targeted and policies can be developed and put in place to promote their health care-seeking behavior.

Migraine attacks in the pharmacy: a gender subanalysis on treatment preferences.

In 2014 our group published the results of a survey conducted in Piedmont, Italy, on the patterns of use and dispensing of drugs in patients requesting assistance from pharmacists for relief of a migraine attack. Epidemiological studies on migraine have consistently shown that migraine is far more common among women than men. This gender difference is also reflected in the higher percentage of women visiting a pharmacy to obtain treatment or advice for headache attacks. In this study, we further explored gender differences in healthcare-seeking behavior and use of migraine medications. The aim of the study was to determine whether women made better selective use of migraine medications and whether visiting a headache center for consultation and treatment reflected awareness of how best to manage their condition. Among the drugs usually taken for relieving head pain, there was no statistically significant difference between men and women in the routine use of NSAIDs (55.6 vs. 51.6 %) or ergot derivatives (8.7 vs. 9.3 %). Statistically significant differences emerged between men and women (27.9 vs. 35.4 %) in the use of triptans (p = 0.003; OR 1.41, 95 % CI 1.12-1.78) and in the use of combined medications (8.5 vs. 12.2 %) (p = 0.029; OR 1.49, 95 % CI 1.04-2.14) but not in the use of simple OTC non-NSAIDs. Less men than women sought professional medical care for managing migraine (65.7 vs. 72.4 %) (p = 0.003; OR 0.71, 95 % CI 0.57-0.89); more women than men sought treatment at a headache center (21.7 vs. 17.4 %) (p = 0.044; OR 1.31, 95 % CI 1.07-1.72).

Differences in health care-seeking behavior during economic recession

Background In Europe, equitable access to high-quality healthcare constitutes a key challenge for health systems across the continent. However, the recent economic recession left many outside the labour market, causing many to fall in poverty and social exclusion. Unemployment is probably the main factor leading to social exclusion. Studies which analysed health seeking behaviour among unemployed people have reported a variety of results, from low to high utilization of health services. However, some researchers argue that during …

Employment status and health care utilization in a context of economic recession : Results of a population based survey in East Central Sweden

Introduction: The most recent economic recession left many people outside the labour market world-wide, causing widespread poverty and social exclusion. Gavleborg County in East Central Sweden experienced massive layoffs caused by closure of various industries. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate differences in health-care use according to employment status at the pick of the recent economic recession. Methods: The study used data from a cross-sectional survey “Health in Equal Terms” carried out in Gavleborg County in 2010. The sample included 4245 persons aged 16-65 years. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to assess differences in health-care seeking behaviour by employment status. Results: Employment status was statistically significantly associated with health-care use in Gavleborg County. In the bivariate analysis people who were not employed had odds ratio of 1.62 (CI 1.18-1.72) for health care use as compared to their employed counterparts. Controlling for other variables in Model II to IV removed the statistical significance and reduced the odds to 0.44(CI 0.20-1.00). Conclusions: This study found that at the pick of the most recent economic recession, people who were out of work used more often health services as compared with their employed counterparts. The observed differences in health-care use were explained by demographic, socio-economic and health-related variables. Further studies are needed to analyze trends of healthcare utilization according to employment nationally, particularly at the county level.