Patterns and Correlates of Health Services Utilization in a Rural Setting: Findings from a Community-Based Study in Coastal Kenya DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajhs.v37i2.7
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Healthcare utilization plays a pivotal role in enhancing healthcare outcomes in the community. However, there is limited evidence on healthcare utilization in Kenya, especially in resource-scarce communities. This study aimed to determine patterns and correlates of health services utilization in the rural settings of the Kenya coast.
METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study. The study was carried out in the Bomani community in Coastal Kenya using questionnaires to collect socio-demographic data, history of illness in the previous month, and healthcare utilization patterns from various household members. Descriptive statistics were conducted along with Inferential statistics involving Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and multilevel mixed effects logistic regression to understand the correlates of healthcare utilization. The study involved 1240 participants from 264 households. The prevalence of reported illness, factors associated with illness reporting, and patterns of healthcare utilization were assessed and reported.
RESULTS: Slightly above half (53%) of the participants were women. Significantly increased odds of reporting ill health were observed among individuals identifying as Protestant (AOR 6.2, 95%CI: 1.21-31.75, p=0.03), Muslim (AOR 7.02, 95%CI: 1.03-47.9, p=0.05), and other faiths (AOR 9.12, 95%CI: 1.55-53.67, p=0.01), poor health (AOR 3.52, 95%CI: 1.7-7.28, p<0.001), along with those who did not utilize preventive and/or promotive services (AOR 3.52, 95%CI: 0.07-0.11, p<0.001). Prevalence of healthcare utilization was 88.9%.
CONCLUSION: Factors such as religious affiliation, self-reported health, education level, and preventive service utilization were associated with illness reporting. These findings have implications for targeted interventions and resource allocation to improve healthcare access and outcomes in resource-scarce settings.
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