Health problems and the health care provider choices: A comparative study of urban and rural households in Egypt

Objective: To assess families’ health problems and the health facility choices in an urban and a rural district in Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study with a multi-stage random sample of 948 urban and 401 rural households was undertaken in a district of Cairo and rural Giza. Data was collected through interviews. The questionnaire addressed health problems and the use of health services within the fortnight prior to the survey. A follow-up of a sub-sample of 285 urban and 114 rural households was carried out 2–3 weeks after the first interview to assess the outcome of complaints. The EPi Info Statistical Package was used for analysis and comparing urban and rural families. Results: Over 60% of urban and 78.8% of rural families had health complaints - respiratory, gastrointestinal and musculoskeletal. Outpatient clinics in public hospitals were the first choice for 49.7% of urban families and 23% of rural, while 25.7% of urban and 42.8% of rural families visited private clinics. Over half of the families with complaints recover from their illnesses within a fortnight. Conclusion: Urban families have less health complaints than rural; however, rural families recover sooner. Families bypass often public primary health care services. Urban families overuse outpatient clinics in public hospitals.