Understanding social determinants of health seeking behaviours, providing a rational framework for health policy and systems development.

Abstract

The concept of studying health seeking behaviours has evolved with the course of time and has ultimately become a tool for understanding how people employ the health care systems in their respective socio-cultural, economic and demographic circumstances. All these behaviours actually define social position of health and provide a better understanding of the disease process. It is therefore imperative to study the impacts of all the determinants, such as ethnicity, education of the mother, gender of child, lifestyles, or economics of a community. All the same, biomedical knowledge alone cannot guarantee better health. Health practitioners, managers and policy makers ought to reflect on social determinants while delivering services, designing health promotion interventions and developing policies. To build a responsive health system, there is a strong need to understand the health seeking behaviours on the demand side and that is the only way to expect improved health outcomes. This paper trails the history of pledges and promises, from Alma Ata declaration to Millennium Development Goals, to consider the importance of social determinants for a healthy public policy and health system development.

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