HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND IT'S ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE FACULTY OF LAW IN UNIVERSITY OF BENIN, EDO STATE

ABSTRACT

Health seeking behaviour has been defined as a "series of an action or inaction that individuals undertake to rectify perceived ill-health. The objectives of this study are to assess health seeking behavior, elicit the knowledge Of health seeking behaviour and factors influencing health seeking behaviour among undergraduate students in the Faculty of Law, University of Benin, Edo State. The study employed a descriptive cross sectional research design. A total of two hundred and eeighty four (284) law students were sampled from a population size of nine hundred and eighty-nine (983) in the Faculty of Law, University of Benin, Edo State. The study adopted a stratified random sampling technique which was considered adequate for the study with certain inclusion and exclusion criteria of the students. A well-structured questionnaire was used to elicit items relevant to the research objectives. Prior to administration, the instrument was tested for reliability The data collected was analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The procedure were done using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 for windows. Questions on knowledge and health seeking behaviour and factors were analyzed in frequency and percentage. The study showed that there was good knowledge, The majority of the respondents will consult the physician once they are experiencing any health problems (66.5%). Concerns about the attitude of the health professionals (77.1%) was the factor that influenced health seeking behavior the most.The study therefore recommends thatPolicies should be put in place to improve regular medical check-up among students, Promotional activities may be necessary to inform and educate students on rational use of medicines and access to treatment at the health center, Future plans to develop university health center services must address the barriers perceived by students to affect their utilization and more funds should be made available to increase drug supply and in varieties as this reassures students and increase utilization.

KEY WORDS: Health seeking behaviour, health behaviour, influencing factors, health, law students, knowledge