Factors Influencing the Health Seeking Behaviour of Men in Gasabo District, Rwanda

Background: Various studies conducted on factors influencing men's health seeking behavior suggested that men are less likely to seek professional medical help for diverse health problems and also pointed out that their reluctance to seek health is a major hindrance to their well-being. Objective: To determine factors influencing men's health seeking behavior and use of health services in Gasabo District. Methods: The 247 men aged above 18 years residing in Gasabo District participated in this cross sectional study for quantitative data and ten in-depth interviews were conducted. Univariate, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis were also computed. Results: Among the key findings, 61.5% of the respondents had high level of health seeking behavior and for multivariable logistic analysis the following variables were independently associated with high level of health seeking behavior: men whose age was above 40 years (AOR = 3.00; 95%CI= 1.26-7.14; p value=0.013); men with tertiary level of education (AOR = 3.78; 95%CI= 1.29-11.05; p value=0.015); men with casual work (AOR = 2.30; 95%CI= 1.23-4.31; p value=0.09); and men with health insurance (AOR = 4.33; 95%CI= 1.08-17.32; p value=0.038). Conclusion: Men moderately utilize healthcare services and there are modifiable characteristics, perceptions and beliefs among men that hinder them from utilizing health care services.