Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Public Health, College of Pharmacy, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 12;14(1):23893. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-75573-0.
Healthcare service utilization among university students is critical for ensuring their health and academic success. This study was performed to determine the level of utilization as well as the perception and factors influencing the utilization of healthcare services by students at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). This research involved a cross-sectional survey in which a semi-structured online questionnaire was used to collect data and a multistage sampling technique was used to sample the students. The students' perceptions were converted to scores by summing their responses across the questions. The total score for each student was compared against the midpoint of the possible score range. Perceptions with a total score greater than or equal to 12.5 were categorized as positive, while those with a total score less than 12.5 were categorized as negative. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of healthcare service utilization. Utilization of healthcare services, the key outcome variable, was defined as the frequency with which students accessed available health services. All analyses were carried out using Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software. A total of 429 students participated in this study, majority of whom were females (304, 70.9%), with a mean age of 18.9 ± 1.7 years. Three hundred and seventy-five students (87.4%) reported utilizing healthcare services at the university of which 186 (43.4%) reported to occasionally utilize healthcare services in the university. A total of 33.1% perceived that the attitude of staff was poor, while 12.6% strongly disagreed that the healthcare staff were incompetent. Overall, the majority (287, 66.9%) of the students had a negative perception of the utilization of healthcare services. Approximately 16% agreed that the high cost of drugs affects their utilization, while 35.9% agreed that the services provided were too expensive. Predictors of healthcare service utilization included being over 20 years old (AOR = 3.6, 95% CI: 1.1-11.6), study level, with fourth-year students having the highest likelihood of utilization (AOR = 13.8, 95% CI: 5.1-37.4), and positive perception of healthcare staff attitude (AOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.1-5.9). Students from lower-income families (< 200,000 Naira) were significantly more likely to utilize healthcare services (AOR = 39.2, 95% CI: 12.6-121.5). The study revealed that, despite widespread usage of healthcare services, students have a predominantly negative perception of these services. Key factors influencing healthcare utilization include age, study level, attitude of staff and family income. Addressing these barriers through targeted interventions can improve health outcomes and promote equitable access to quality healthcare.
大学生的医疗保健服务利用情况对于确保他们的健康和学业成功至关重要。本研究旨在确定学生利用医疗保健服务的水平以及他们对医疗保健服务的认知和影响因素。该研究采用了横断面调查方法，使用半结构式在线问卷收集数据，并采用多阶段抽样技术对学生进行抽样。学生的认知通过对问题的回答进行加总转换为分数。每位学生的总分为其可能得分范围内的中点进行比较。总得分大于或等于 12.5 的认知被归类为积极，而总得分小于 12.5 的认知被归类为消极。使用逻辑回归分析识别医疗保健服务利用的预测因素。医疗保健服务的利用情况，即关键的结局变量，定义为学生利用现有卫生服务的频率。所有分析均使用统计产品和服务解决方案 (SPSS) 软件进行。共有 429 名学生参加了这项研究，其中大多数是女性（304 名，70.9%），平均年龄为 18.9±1.7 岁。375 名学生（87.4%）报告在大学使用过医疗保健服务，其中 186 名（43.4%）报告偶尔在大学使用医疗保健服务。共有 33.1%的学生认为工作人员的态度较差，而 12.6%的学生强烈不同意医护人员能力不足。总的来说，大多数（287 名，66.9%）学生对利用医疗保健服务的认知是消极的。约 16%的学生同意药品价格高会影响他们的利用，而 35.9%的学生同意所提供的服务太贵。医疗保健服务利用的预测因素包括年龄超过 20 岁（AOR=3.6，95%CI：1.1-11.6），学习水平，四年级学生的利用可能性最高（AOR=13.8，95%CI：5.1-37.4），以及对医护人员态度的积极认知（AOR=2.5，95%CI：1.1-5.9）。来自低收入家庭（<200000 奈拉）的学生更有可能利用医疗保健服务（AOR=39.2，95%CI：12.6-121.5）。研究表明，尽管广泛使用医疗保健服务，但学生对这些服务的认知主要是消极的。影响医疗保健利用的关键因素包括年龄、学习水平、工作人员的态度和家庭收入。通过有针对性的干预措施解决这些障碍可以改善健康结果，并促进公平获得高质量的医疗保健。
