Research Article: Factors influencing parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour for their ill children: a cross-sectional study based on China family panel studies
Abstract:
Parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour during their children’s illnesses plays a vital role in ensuring their healthy development. This study conducted a systematic analysis of the familial and societal factors affecting child health, with the intention of providing evidence-based insights to enhance child health outcomes and improve the efficiency of healthcare service delivery.
Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) 2022 survey, variables such as children’s medical insurance status, parental educational level, per capita household income, and place of residence were selected. The analysis was conducted using independent-samples t -tests, ? 2 tests, and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses to investigate the patterns and influencing factors associated with parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour when their children became ill.
A total of 5,361 subjects were included, with male subjects accounting for 53.48% of the sample. Among the respondents, 43.84% ( n =?2,350) adopted informal health-seeking (IHS) behaviour and 56.15% ( n =?3,011) adopted prompt formal health-seeking (PFHS) behaviour. A univariate analysis revealed statistically significant differences in healthcare-seeking behaviour across sex and family economic status. A multivariate analysis further revealed child age, paternal education, geographic region, and urban–rural residence as independent influencing factors. In the univariate analysis, a tendency toward informal health-seeking behaviour was observed with increasing child age, higher parental education, and higher family income.
In this study, parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour for their ill children was significantly influenced by a variety of socioeconomic factors, including parental education level, child age, and region of residence. These findings underscore the importance of guiding families toward appropriate healthcare choices, which is crucial for optimising child health outcomes and increasing the efficiency of public health service delivery.
Introduction:
Parents’ healthcare-seeking behaviour during their children’s illnesses plays a vital role in ensuring their healthy development. This study conducted a systematic analysis of the familial and societal factors affecting child health, with the intention of providing evidence-based insights to enhance child health outcomes and improve the efficiency of healthcare service delivery.
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