What resources do elderly people choose for managing their symptoms? Clarification of rural older people’s choices of help-seeking behaviors in Japan

Autor: Ryuichi Ohta, Mikiya Sato, Yoshinori Ryu, Jun Kitayuguchi, Tetsuhiro Maeno, Chiaki Sano
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMC Health Services Research, Vol 21, Iss 1, Pp 1-8 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1472-6963
DOI: 10.1186/s12913-021-06684-x
Popis: Abstract Background Appropriate help-seeking behavior (HSB) that involves lay and professional care may moderate the usage of medical resources and promote good health, especially among the rural elderly. However, there is little evidence regarding the rural elderly’s HSB choices for mild symptoms. Therefore, this study attempts to bridge this gap. Methods The participants were patients living in rural areas and over the age of 65, who attended Japanese clinics and general hospitals. In Phase 1, monthly diaries and one-on-one interviews about their mild symptoms and HSB were used to establish HSB items and assess its content validity. Content analysis helped determine the items. In Phase 2, participants were asked to complete the list to measure HSB. The answers to the list and HSB mentioned in the diaries were compared to evaluate concurrent validity. Retests were conducted to examine the content’s reliability and test-retest reliability. Results Phase 1 included 267 participants (average age = 75.1 years, standard deviation [SD] = 4.3; 50.1% male). The diary collection rate was 97.6%. Of the participants, 70.4% used lay care and 25.4% used professional care. Content analysis identified eight types of lay care and four types of professional care. Phase 2 included 315 participants (average age = 77.7 years, SD = 8.27; 46.0% male). In terms of validity, the results of the list and the diaries were correlated (Spearman r 0.704; p
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