Prevalence and Determinants of Appropriate Health Seeking Behaviour among Known Diabetics: Results from a Community-Based Survey

Table 2

Current pattern of health seeking behavior.

Characteristics		%
Method of DM being diagnosed
Medical screening at community level	30	6.5
Medical screening at health facilities	124	27.0
Own initiatives	122	26.5
Medical checkup (preemployment/hajj)	36	7.8
Getting treatment for symptom of DM	69	15.0
Admitted to hospital due to complication; of DM	47	10.2
Medical screening 6 weeks postpartum.	32	7.0
Seeking treatment upon diagnosis
Yes	376	81.7
No	84	18.3
Early treatment at diagnosis
Within 24 hours	222	48.3
After 24 hours	154	33.4
Reason for not/delay in seeking treatment upon diagnosis
Financial constraint (transport, medicine, and; consultation)	46	10.0
No time	114	24.8
Distance from health facilities	26	5.7
Considered that symptoms were not serious; enough for treatment	27	5.9
Self-treatment	206	44.8
No treatment	5	1.1
>2 reasons	36	7.8
Utilizing health facilities
Government hospital	263	57.2
Private hospital	23	5.0
Government clinic	114	24.8
Private clinic	13	2.8
Pharmacy/Chinese shop	7	1.5
Traditional healers	—	—
Homeopathy healers	2	0.4
Self-treatment	30	6.5
No treatment	8	1.7
Using modern treatment
Oral diabetic agent	308	67.0
Insulin	43	9.3
Oral diabetic agent and insulin	53	11.5
Traditional medicine	4	0.9
Homeopathy medicine	3	0.7
Food supplement	7	1.5
Medicine bought from pharmacy	3	0.7
Medicine bought from Chinese shop	6	1.3
Self-treatment	23	5.0
No treatment	10	2.2
Health seeking behaviour
Appropriate	395	85.9
Inappropriate	65	14.1