Table 1:
Demographic, clinical and healthcare resource characteristics of the study cohort (N = 676)
| Characteristic | Seeking physician’s advice | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (N = 676) | Yes (n = 570) | No (n = 106) | ||
| Age in years (mean ± SD) | 32 ± 13 | 32 ± 12 | 32 ± 13 | 0.785 |
| Gender, n (%)* | ||||
| Female | 410 (61) | 357 (63%) | 53 (50%) | 0.015 |
| Male | 266 (39) | 213 (37%) | 53 (50%) | |
| Marital status, n (%) | ||||
| Married | 437 (65%) | 374 (66%) | 63 (59%) | 0.222 |
| Single, divorced, widowed | 239 (35%) | 196 (34%) | 43 (41%) | |
| Literacy, n (%) | ||||
| Literate (can read or write) | 559 (83%) | 476 (84%) | 83 (78%) | 0.193 |
| Illiterate (cannot read or write) | 117 (17%) | 94 (17%) | 23 (22%) | |
| History of chronic illness, n (%) | ||||
| Yes | 200 (30%) | 172 (30%) | 28 (26%) | 0.436 |
| No | 476 (70%) | 398 (70%) | 78 (74%) | |
| On regular medication, n (%) | ||||
| Yes | 231 (34%) | 196 (34%) | 35 (33%) | 0.785 |
| No | 445 (66%) | 374 (66%) | 71 (67%) | |
| Source of healthcare, n (%) | ||||
| Government | 473 (70%) | 402 (71%) | 71 (67%) | 0.027 |
| Private | 73 (11%) | 54 (9%) | 19 (18%) | |
| Traditional | 130 (19%) | 114 (20%) | 16 (15%) | |
| Reason to seek healthcare, n (%) | ||||
| Treatment of acute condition(s) | 271 (40%) | 228 (40%) | 43 (41%) | 0.656 |
| Follow-up visit | 227 (34%) | 195 (34%) | 32 (30%) | |
| Vaccination(s) or other | 178 (26%) | 147 (26%) | 31 (29%) | |
| Number of visits attended per month | ||||
| Mean ± SD | 1.29 ± 2.09 | 1.27 ± 1.87 | 1.39 ± 3.02 | 0.939 |
| Median (IQR) | 1 (0–1) | 1 (0–1) | 1 (0–1) | |
| Regularly attended health education programmes, n (%) | ||||
| Yes | 211 (31%) | 184 (33%) | 27 (25%) | 0.165 |
| No | 465 (69%) | 386 (68%) | 79 (75%) | |
SD = Standard deviation;
* = Percentages are column percentages wherever appropriate; IQR=Interquartile range.