Sociodemographic Correlates of Choice of Health Care Services in Six Rural Communities in North Central Nigeria

Household expenditure on health has increasingly remained a major source of health care financing in Nigeria despite the introduction of several social health scheme policies provided by the government for meeting the health care costs of patients. Recognizing these limitations, this study assessed the type of health care services people commonly use in various illnesses and the sociodemographic correlates of the preferred health care services by household heads in six rural communities of North Central Nigeria. A cross-sectional community-based descriptive study design was used to study 154 household heads in the settlements using a multistage sampling method. Multiple logistic regressions were performed to investigate independent predictors that had significant chi-square at . The leading causes of illness experienced by respondents were medical conditions (42.0%) and 41.7% of them sought treatment from patent medicine vendors. The dominant reasons for health-seeking preferences were financial access (53.7%) and proximity (48.6%). Age had a higher impact (Beta = 0.892) on the health-seeking preferences of the respondents as compared to their occupation and religion (Beta = 0.368 and ？0.746, resp.). Therefore, in order to meet the health care of patients, it is pertinent that the unmet needs of patients are properly addressed by appropriate agencies. 1. Introduction Health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including preventive, curative, and palliative interventions whether directed to individuals or populations [1]. It is, therefore, a necessity and a basic human need. Based on that recognition, the Alma-Ata declaration of the 1978 Primary Health Care (PHC) conference, endorsed by practically all governments, called for social and economic guarantees that would ensure that the basic health needs for all citizens of the world will be achieved by or before the year 2000 [2]. When the goal post of the Alma-Ata declaration was almost approaching, representatives from 189 countries met at the Millennium Summit in New York to adopt the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs just like the PHC declaration also place health at the heart of development and represent commitment by governments throughout the world to reduce poverty and hunger, lack of education, and gender inequality and to tackle ill-health conditions [3]. Unfortunately, for most developing countries, the prospects of achieving even a minimal level of adequacy in health services and health remains a mirage. While health care needs are increasing,