Factors influencing health-seeking behavior among Sudanese immigrants in Saudi Arabia

Health-seeking behavior (HSB) involves any action or inaction taken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or illness aimed at finding appropriate medical treatments. Studies suggest a positive relationship between the availability and quality of health services and their ut...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	BMC public health Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 1666 - 8
Main Authors:	Elfaki, Noor S, Abdelgyoum, Hafeia A, Elhelali, Ala
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	England BioMed Central Ltd 22-06-2024 BioMed Central BMC
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Age Analysis Behavior Calling behavior Cross-Sectional Studies Data analysis Data collection Demographic aspects Drug self-administration Economic aspects Emigrants and Immigrants - psychology Emigrants and Immigrants - statistics & numerical data Factors influencing health-seeking behavior Female Health aspects Health behavior Health care Health care access Health care disparities Health care industry Health care policy Health insurance Health services Health Services Accessibility - statistics & numerical data Health-seeking behavior Healthcare-seeking behavior Humans Immigrants Insurance Insurance coverage Male Medical treatment Middle Aged Migration Passports & visas Patient Acceptance of Health Care - ethnology Patient Acceptance of Health Care - psychology Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data Questionnaires Reforming Regression analysis Sampling Saudi Arabia Self-care, Health Self-medication Social aspects Social networks Sociodemographics Socioeconomic factors Sudan - ethnology Sudanese immigrants Surveys and Questionnaires Young Adult Saudi Arabia Sudan Saudi Arabia Health insurance Health-seeking behavior Factors influencing health-seeking behavior Sudanese immigrants Healthcare-seeking behavior
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Summary:	Health-seeking behavior (HSB) involves any action or inaction taken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a health problem or illness aimed at finding appropriate medical treatments. Studies suggest a positive relationship between the availability and quality of health services and their utilization. This study aimed to identify the factors influencing health-seeking behavior among Sudanese immigrants in Saudi Arabia, to improve healthcare access and health outcomes. A cross-sectional study was conducted targeting Sudanese residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Participants were recruited using convenient sampling. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed electronically. A total of 494 participants were recruited for the study. This study showed that the majority of the participants (66.6%) visited a primary healthcare center when faced with a medical problem. However, the prevalence of self-medication in the past three months was 45.7%. Significant factors influencing health-seeking behavior included age (OR [95% CI]: 1.032 [1.000-1.066]) and lack of health insurance (OR = 1.01, 95% CI [1.00-1.02], p = 0.019). This study emphasizes the importance of understanding healthcare-seeking behavior among immigrant groups, particularly Sudanese immigrants in Saudi Arabia. It highlights the significance of insurance as a determinant of healthcare-seeking behavior and calls for reforming current policies to reduce disparities in accessing healthcare services.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1471-2458 1471-2458
DOI:	10.1186/s12889-024-19122-4