title: Relatives' advice and health care-seeking behaviour in oman.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It has been well established that pathways to care are considerably modified by local, social and psychological characteristics as well as the doctor-patient relationship. Scant attention has been paid to the role of family advice in care-seeking. In Omani society, traditional family values and a collective mindset are the norm rather than the exception. This paper examines how family advice affects the trajectory of care seeking.
  
  
  METHODS
  During 2006-2007, data was collected through face-to-face interviews among a randomised sample of patients seeking medical consultation in various primary health care centres in the northern region of Oman. This study enrolled a total of 493 patients. The association between the advice of family members as a reason to seek health care and other predictors was analysed using multivariable logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The data suggest that the advice of family members in care-seeking is strongly associated with gender, education, history of chronic illness, previous exposure to traditional medicine, and health education, as well as the history of immunisation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that the advice of family members remains a strong catalyst for care-seeking in Oman. The psychosocial factors affecting care-seeking leading to underutilisation of services or otherwise are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Family Medicine and Public Health &
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Mandhari
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Adawi
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Al-Zakwani
authors.forename: Mohammed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Shafaee
authors.forename: Liyam
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Eloul