title: A study on care seeking behavior of chest symptomatics in a slum of Bankura, West Bengal.
abstract: A cross-sectional, community based study was undertaken in Patpur slum of Bankura to determine the prevalence of chest symptomatics, their health care seeking Behavior and its correlates. Prevalence of chest symptomatics (cough for 3 weeks or more) was found to be 5.5%, three fourths of whom sought relief from a health care provider. Among them, 70.8% did so within 2 weeks, median being 7 days. No preference for either government or private health care provider was seen in first visit, where the major reason for choosing facilities was advice by family & friends (43.8%). Most of the chest symptomatics (75%) were retained in the same facility. Shift from private to government facility for subsequent visits (33.3%) was higher than from government to private facility (16.7%). The main reason (50%) for changing health facility was expectation for better service.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, B.S. Medical College, Bankura, India.
authors.forename: Sreeparna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.forename: Apurba
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sinhababu
authors.forename: Pranita
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taraphdar
authors.forename: Dipta Kanti
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Mukhopadhyay
authors.forename: Banamali Sinha
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Mahapatra
authors.forename: Akhil Bandhu
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Biswas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003371:Cough / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006469:Hemoptysis / Q000453:epidemiology; D016304:Hospitals, Private; D006783:Hospitals, State; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011204:Poverty Areas; D015995:Prevalence; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014505:Urban Population; D055815:Young Adult