Behavioral Risk Factor and Primary Healthcare Utilization in South Africa

Abstract

(1) Background: An effective and efficient primary healthcare service is one of the reforms designed to achieve universal healthcare coverage. The success of the reform however depends on the ability to identify factors that could undermine through avoidable use, the effectiveness of various deployed scarce resources. The prevalence of unhealthy lifestyle risk factors that have been identified as a critical public health issue, which stimulate vulnerability and mortality through the development of non-communicable diseases, also have implications for government health spending through healthcare utilization. (2) Objective: This study aims to investigate the effect of behavioral risk factors on primary healthcare utilization in South Africa. (3) Methods: Using the NIDS wave 4 data set and a binary logistic estimation technique, the study is premised on a modified Anderson model of health service utilization. (4) Results: The binary logistic regression estimation results clearly show the intercepting effect of smoking in public primary healthcare utilization. Equally, the effect of these lifestyle behavior risk factors on public PHC is evident in urban communities. (5) Conclusion: This study suggests that there is a need to intensify awareness on the health effect of smoking; strengthen and broaden law that bans smoking; and introduce the screening of smoking patients for recurring counselling sessions and intervention at primary healthcare facilities in the country's urban communities.

Keywords: South Africa; behavioral risk factor; healthcare utilization; public sector.