Prevalence and Factors Associated with Health Services Utilization of Sindhupalchowk District, Nepal

Introduction: In Nepal, preference of health service for treatment is different for different people, which is affected by their level of knowledge , socio-demographic factors and so on. The objective of this study was to find the first preference of health services of the people for the treatment of their illness andfactors affecting their preference. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 respondents of Maneswora Ward, Sindhupalchowk district which was selected through systematic random sampling. Data collection was done after taking ethical approval. Face-to-face interview was done to collect the data through semi- structured questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS v16. Results: One-third (36.9%) of the respondents were found to be visiting the traditional health services and more than half (63.1%) of the respondents visited modern health services. Education (0.016), duration of stay (0.014), type of disease (<0.001), distance to the health services (<0.001), modes of transportation (<0.001), affordability (0.013), waiting time (<0.001) and availability of health care provider (<0.001) demonstrated association with utilization of health services at 95% level of confidence (p<0.05). Conclusions: Despite of modern health facilities available within walking distance, still people prefer to go to the traditional healers for almost all the health problems at first hand with firm belief that they cure it. Hence, government still lacks effective programs to attract people towards modern health services to some extent. Hence, the awareness campaign regarding the benefits of modern health services should be initiated.