Impact of COVID-19 on Health Seeking Behavior of Patients with Chronic Disease at Public Hospitals in Jimma Zone, South West Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: COVID-19 is a global pandemic with unprecedented medical, economic and social consequences affecting nations across the world. This epidemic arises while chronic diseases are continued to be a public health concern. Though evidence is generated on its impact on the health care system, little is known about the Impact of COVID −19 on the care-seeking behavior of chronic patients. Objective: To assess the Impact of COVID-19 on healthcare-seeking behavior of patients with chronic diseases attending follow-up at public hospitals in Jimma zone, South West Ethiopia. Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study design was employed. The sample was calculated using the single population proportion formula. Hospitals were selected by using simple random sampling. Then, the final calculated sample size for the study was proportionally allocated to each selected hospital. Data were collected from 400 participants through face-to-face interviews and card reviews. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 3.1 and then exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses with 95% CI for odds ratio (OR) were used to identify significant factors. Results: Of the total respondents 156 (39.0%) of them had poor health-seeking behavior. Contact history with COVID −19 patient (AOR = 2.8; 95% CI = 1.1-7.0), perceived moderate depression (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.2-4.2), perceived extreme depression (AOR = 4.3; 95% CI = 1.8-10.5), shortage of medication (AOR = 2.4; 95% CI = 1.0-6.2) increases the odds of poor health-seeking behavior. In addition, the odds of poor health-seeking in patients with no formal education were higher compared to patients with higher educational status (AOR = 2.7; 95% CI = 1.0-9.0). Conclusion: COVID −19 outbreaks affected the health-seeking behavior of patients with chronic diseases. The impact was found to be more significant among patients who had a contact history with COVID −19 patients. Moreover, perceived depression, shortage of medication, and low educational status were significant predictors of poor health-seeking behavior. Therefore, working on the barriers to the health-seeking behavior of chronic patients may reduce the effect of COVID-19.

The impact of COVID-19 on non-communicable disease patients in sub-Saharan African countries: systematic review

“…Among this, 14 studies focused on chronic disease patients, five focused on diabetes, three focused on hypertension, two focused on diseases and/ or hypertension, one focused on cancer, and one focused on cardiovascular disease. The review findings were organized into five frequently reported themes and subthemes: these are 1) disruption of follow-up care and poor health care utilization reported by 11 studies [10,11, 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]; 2) increased anxiety, stress, depression, and increased mental health problems reported by eight studies [15,32, 34,35,37,38,39,43]; 3) substance use reported by four studies [36,37,41,44]; 4) decreased physical activity and sedentary life reported by three studies [33,36,44]; and 5) increased food insecurity and poor dietary habits due to COVID-19 among NCDs patients, reported in five studies [36,40,42,43,44] Studies included in this review did not focus on the same subject matter. Some studies focused on one theme and others focus on more than two themes; for instance, (Andualem et al, 2020) examined adherence to lifestyle modifications and reported on diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol, whereas (Abate et al, 2022) examined adherence to physical exercise recommendations and reported only on exercise compliance.…”

“…Disruption of follow-up care and poor healthcare utilization in sub-Saharan Africa were the most frequently reported challenges reported by ten studies included in this systematic review [10,11, 23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31]. Some of the reasons for this disruption include fear of contracting COVID-19, transportation challenges, and limited access to healthcare facilities due to lockdowns and restrictions.…”

Health-Seeking Behaviour and Its Determinants Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Numerous earlier studies that revealed unhealthy health-seeking behaviour lend support to this. According to a study conducted in Ethiopia, COVID-19 had a significant effect on patients' health-seeking behaviour, which was poor in 39% of patients [ 11 ]. Similar research conducted in Singapore during the COVID-19 outbreak indicated that 40% of chronic patients missed follow-up appointments [ 12 ].…”

Care Seeking Behavior For Pregnant and Women Giving Birth During the Covid-19 Pandemic

“…A study conducted by Saah et al (2021) regarding treatment-seeking behavior during a pandemic found that during a pandemic, people tend to avoid disease risk factors and do things that can increase resilience. It was supported by Awel et al (2022) who found a decrease in visits for chronic disease patients due to fear of transmission of Covid-19. The results of a cohort study conducted by Chou et al (2021) found a decrease in health service visits.…”