Background: Healthcare seeking behaviors are the activities undertaken by individuals in response to disease symptoms experienced. In most parts of the world, health outcomes among boys and men continue to be substantially worse than among girls and women, yet this gender-based disparity in health has received little national, regional or global acknowledgement or attention from health policy-makers or health-care providers so this study aims at assessing the perceived health status, factors influencing the healthcare seeking behavior among adolescents and young men at Nyamagana district Mwanza.
Objectives: To assess health status and health seeking behavior among adolescents and young adult males living in Nyamagana district.
Methodology: This was a community based descriptive cross-sectional study done among 340 young men and adolescents of age ranging 18 to 24 years at Nyamagana district. Data were collected using questionnaire among 340 participants after a suitable selection process. Raw data was cleaned using STATA version 15 before being presented.
Results: In this study, about 35% (118/340) participants perceived their health status as excellent whereby major impairment affecting the individuals was eye/vision problems accounting for 22.08% (34/340) and other impairment 38.31% (59/340). Furthermore 84.91% (284/340) participants had national insurance card and 82.02% (260/340) have ever used it while 45.21% (137/340) described the quality of service provided as good. Approximately half (55% (178/340) participants described that long queue reaching the doctor as major barrier in accessing the healthcare and service. Moreover, 74.71% (254/340) agreed with the statement that location of the healthcare influence the rate to see the healthcare facility.
Conclusion: Majority of young adult men perceived that their health status was excellent besides being affected with some physical and mental conditions within a one past month. Different factors were described to influence health seeking behavior including health insurance card membership, appropriate treatment from the healthcare workers, living closer to the healthcare facility and short time spent in the healthcare facility and time taken to see the doctor. Furthermore, the health seeking behavior of study participants was good.