Socio-Cultural Beliefs Attached to Health Seeking Behaviour among Older Adults in Selected Rural and Urban Areas in Lagos State.

Oluwafunmilayo Theresa Adekola, Lagos State University
Elias O. Wahab, Lagos State University
Ajiboye O.E., Lagos State University

ABSTRACT The use of medications or health care treatments among older adults differs across countries due to cultural variations. The study adopted descriptive research design. Purposively, four local government areas in Lagos State were selected. Quantitatively, One thousand, six hundred and forty (1640) semi-structured questionnaires were administered on older adults 60 years and above using multi-stage sampling technique. Qualitatively, 16 in-depth interviews and Four (4) Focus Group Discussions comprising of 8 homogeneous groups were conducted among the older adults. The study found that socio-cultural belief s of the older adults have significant effect on their health seeking behaviour, Chi-Square value 3.148 since P<0.05. Conclusion: Socio-cultural beliefs of the older adult is a strong factor in their health seeking behaviour; government should provide them with adequate information on quality and affordable healthcare services for them to utilise modern healthcare services. Keywords: Healthcare, Socio-cultural, Utilisation, Older adults, Rural and Urban. Theme: Ageing