Utilization of health facilities and preferred places of treatment for common health conditions in Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: When people are ill, the options for health-seeking behavior are shaped by several factors. Understanding these options is likely to contribute to early treatment and better outcomes. The objective of this study was to investigate the utilization and preferred places for treating common health problems in Lagos, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using both an interviewer administered questionnaire and focus group discussions to obtain data. Participants were recruited through multi-stage sampling methods from four local government areas in Lagos State. Conditions of interest included fever in children, cough, diarrhoea and vomiting and pregnancy care. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22 software was used for analysis while the qualitative data was analyzed with ATLAS.ti software version 7. The level of significance was set at p< 0.05.

Results: Two thousand participants were recruited. The mean age was 37.6±10.21years. Government hospitals were the most frequent usual source of health care (41%). Perceived effectiveness of treatment, speed of service and low cost were main reasons for these choices. Other sources of care such as drug store, nursing homes and trado-medical facilities were preferred more frequently by more than a third of respondents for most conditions except for pregnancy care. Primary Health Care centers were the least preferred sources of care.

Conclusion: Primary Health Care centres were the least utilized sources of care. Increased advocacy is a recommended strategy to improve early presentation to health facilities.