Healthcare Seeking Behavior and Lifestyle Modifications among Chronic Illness Patients’ in Central and Southwestern Ethiopia

Abstract

Chronic illnesses, in particular cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and chronicrespiratory diseases, have become the major cause of morbidity and mortality globally.Chronic illness claimed 60% of all deaths worldwide and strikingly, 80% of these deathsoccur in developing countries, making such illnesses one of the major developmentchallenges of the global south. The main objective of this study was to investigatechronic illness patients‟ healthcare seeking behavior and lifestyle modifications. Bothquantitative and qualitative research methods were employed in a triangulation fashion.Accordingly, 150 chronic illness outpatients visiting health facilities in the data collectionperiod were surveyed in the study. The informants of qualitative studies were recruited by using purposive sampling technique based on availability. Descriptive and inferentialstatistics were employed to analyze the quantitative data, and the qualitative data weresummarized and presented concurrently alongside the quantitative data by hiring thematicanalysis. The study unveiled that people from all walks of life are vulnerable to chronicillnesses. Place of residence and educational attainment showcased significant associationwith the indicators of health seeking behavior of chronic illness patients. Lifestylemodification is in the front line treatment strategies in the process of chronic illnesscontrol and management. However, chronic illness patients reported that they arestruggling to adapt and practice the desired modified lifestyles in their everyday life.Thus, the practice of healthy lifestyles should be promoted to arrest potential hazards ofchronic illness on the socio-economic fabrics of the society.