Level of modern health-seeking behavior for common childhood illnesses and its associated factors among mothers of under-five children in southern Ethiopia: A community based study

BACKGROUND: Health-seeking behavior is an action taken by an individual who perceives to have a health problem. Many childhood morbidities and mortalities are associated with a low level of a mother's healthcare-seeking behavior. However, there are limited studies about modern health-seeking behavior among mothers of ill under-five children in the study area. OBJECTIVE: To assess the level of modern health-seeking behavior of mothers/caregivers and associated factors for childhood illness in Hawassa city, Sidama, Ethiopia 2021. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from November 15 to December 15, 2021, in Hawassa City. Eight kebeles were selected by using simple random sampling methods. A total of 366 mothers with children less than five years were included in this study and an interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data entry, cleaning, and analysis were done by using Statistical Package for Social sciences version 24 and logistic regression was used to determine the presence of association, and significance was declared at p-value <0.05. RESULT: The study found that 70.2% of mothers/caregivers seek modern health care for their child's illnesses. Number of Antenatal care follow up ([AOR(Adjusted Odds Ratio) = 2.106; 95% CI(Confidence Interval) (1.097–4.042)), urban residence ([AOR = 2.688; 95% CI (1.403–5.149)), perceived severity of illness ([AOR2.832; 95% CI1.101–7.290)), four or above birth order (5.501; 95% CI (1.761–17.184)) and symptoms guiding severity of illness ([AOR = 4.664; 95% CI (1.918–11.342)) were associated with modern health-seeking behavior. CONCLUSION: The overall modern health-seeking behaviors of mothers of under-five children are higher than in previous studies. However, a still significant proportion of mothers do not seek modern health care for their ill children. mothers/caregivers’ residence, birth order, number of Antenatal care follow-ups, perceived severity of childhood illness, and perceived guiding symptoms of severity are the significant predictors of mothers' healthcare-seeking behavior.