Factors Associated with Healthcare-Seeking Behavior among Health Profession Students in Selected Universities in Southwestern Uganda

Introduction: Health professional students (HPS) tend to seek informal health care associated with self-medication (SM). Therefore, this study investigated the factors associated with healthcare-seeking behavior (HSB) among HPS. Methods: The study employed a cross-sectional design. Four hundred (400) HPS from two universities Bishop Stuart University (BSU) and Kampala International University Western Campus (KIU)] in southwestern Uganda were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data was collected using a Google form containing structured questions. The link to the questionnaire was sent to prospective participants via WhatsApp platform or email between September and November 2021. Ethical clearance was obtained from Mbarara university Research Ethics committee. Data were entered into SPSS software and analyzed using descriptive chi-square statistics, and logistic regression. HSB was considered formal or appropriate if the participant usually sought healthcare from a health worker. Results: A total of 400 HPS were enrolled, 60.3% were males, the mean age of the participants was 23.06 (SD = 2.74) years. Fifty-seven percent (57.5%) of the participants consulted a health worker when ill in the last 12 months (had formal HSB). Most participants’ main reason for seeking health care was to treat the underlying illness (73.3%). About sixty-nine percent (68.6%) of the participants treated themselves during the most recent illness or health problem. Most of the participants searched the internet for health-related information when ill at some point. (Sometimes = 35.8%, Always = 27%, Often = 16%).The academic year of HPS (P < 0.001), access to health facilities (P = 0.018), being too busy (P = 0.028), and minor illnesses (P < 0.001) were significantly associated with healthcare-seeking behavior. The lower academic years 1 & 2 (OR = 0.453, P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.296 - 0.695) and easy access to the health facility (OR = 0.447 P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.287 - 0.696) were predictors of formal HSB, being too busy (OR = 1.620, P = 0.049, 95% CI = 1.002 - 2.621) and having a minor illness (OR = 2.465, P< 0.001, 95% CI = 1.597 - 3.803) were predictors of informal healthcare seeking behavior. Conclusion: Our study findings indicate that a larger proportion of the participants sought formal health advice upon getting ill although others resorted to self-medication. Accessibility to health facilities and lower academic years predicted formal healthcare-seeking behavior while minor illnesses and being too busy predicted informal HSB among health profession students. Health training institutions should have easily accessible student-friendly healthcare facilities to promote formal healthcare seeking behavior.