GROUP 3 Proposal 3A For Defense

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St. Paul University Philippines

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan 3500
FACTORS AFFECTING THE HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND
HEALTH PRACTICES OF 3RD YEAR STUDENT NURSES OF
ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES
A Thesis Submitted to the
Faculty of School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences
Tuguegarao City, Cagayan
In Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for
NCM 111: Nursing Research 1
Aquino, Kristiene Keith C.
Catsuela, Kelly G.
Lagrio, Jeremiah P.
Santos, Isabelle Arlette V.
Researchers
Mrs. Josephine Lorica, RN, DPA
SPUP School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

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Adviser

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Chapter 1
THE PROBLEM AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
Mchidi (2021, as cited in Chen, 2008) said that Nurse form a
fundamental part of the health workforce worldwide and their
contribution is essential to delivering safe care. Health care is
only safe to the extent that the person providing it is also of
good health. There is growing interest in the health of the
health care provider stemming from the realization that a healthy
population depends on a healthy workforce that leads as an
example. This has stimulated countries like China to start
programs aimed at improving their health professionals’ health.
With increasing morbidity in the health profession, the health of
the nurse must receive scrutiny by urgently seeking ways that
enhance their utilization of health services if they have to make
health seeking behavior advice to patients realistic.
Nursing student have gotten familiar with adjusting rapidly,
going through areas, and moving quickly starting with one
challenge then onto the next. Working through a pandemic has
changed all parts of our lives, and it have energetically taken
on new duties to help everyone around us with brief period to

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fathom the effect of such enormous changes. And thus, as for the
future nurse one of the most important in everyone’s life is
their Health, 'Health' is a state of complete physical, social,
and mental wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or
infirmity. Health is thus a level of functional efficiency of
living beings and a general condition of a person’s mind, body,
and spirit, meaning it is free from illness, injury, and pain.
Health-seeking behavior can be defined as any action
undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a
health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an
appropriate remedy (Oberoi et al., 2016). Although there are many
studies on health-seeking behavior, there are few studies on the
health-seeking behavior of students, especially Filipino student
nurses, which is why this choice of experiment was conducted.
Culturally, Filipinos have a natural propensity of delaying or
avoiding preventative health-care steps before the onset of an
illness. Patient delay is an increasing issue for health care
providers. This study seeks to determine the factors affecting
health seeking behavior and health practices of certain Filipino
students.
Various studies about health seeking behavior have been
conducted as the years progressed. Health seeking behavior can

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contribute a huge degree to the wellbeing status of each person
which incorporates various factors that influences their health.
The researcher knows that student nurses have an increase
knowledge about health practices since they are focus on disease
prevention and health promotion since health promotion reduce the
risk of developing chronic diseases and other morbidities.
Nurses have important role in promoting public health. The health
seeking behavior and health practices of every individual varies
on what health problems they experience and what specific remedy
they use to improve their health status. Hence, the researcher
seeks to determine the factors that affect health behaviors and
health practices of the student nurses specifically in the Saint
Paul University of Tuguegarao. To measure the preference of the
selected student nurse in promoting their health.
Health status is an individual's relative level of wellness
and illness, considering the presence of biological or
physiological dysfunction, symptoms, and functional impairment.
Health perceptions (or perceived health status) are subjective
ratings by the affected individual of his or her health status6.
Some people perceive themselves as healthy despite suffering from
one or more chronic diseases, while others perceive themselves as

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ill when no objective evidence of disease can be found (American
Thoracic Society, 2007)
Many factors affect health seeking behavior and health
practice of student nurses. Researchers consider reasons such as
Individual, Demographic, Sociology-economic, Health beliefs,
Institutional, Cultural in the stability of a sense of well-being
and health. Studies have shown that those with a high perceived
health status also have a better physical health status. These
people that have a high seeking behavior is positively associated
with the health problems and low health practices.
This research is fist, of use to the future researcher as a
reference to improve their study and second, for 3rd year Nursing
Students of St. Paul University Philippines to critically
appraise their satisfaction in their functional status of daily
living. The study is conducted to identify the different factors
that influence the health-seeking behavior and health practices.
Particularly, it aims to assess the holistic wellbeing of 3rd
year Nursing Students. It provides factors to improve the quality
of health practices of 3rd year Nursing students. Case in point,
the research study determines how the nurses seek their health
and what are the ways or practices to improve their health.

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This study can advance new knowledge or new ways of
understanding by summarizing the current body of knowledge
related to the factors affecting health seeking behavior and
health practices among students, health information and its
influences on the students. This study will help understand and
serve as a basis to know and further address the health needs and
interventions needed among the college student being studied. By
this study it can bring new ways of understanding by uncovering
the current factors affecting health seeking behavior and health
practices especially among 3rd year student nurses of St. Paul
University to help promote better healthcare behavior and
practices which will essentially give a better health outcome
among the students. The finding of this study will generate
result that could influence nursing students to have a positive
effect and develop awareness on their health seeking behavior and
health practices which can attribute antecedents and consequences
results in promoting the status, importance, and application of
this concept in the nursing profession.
Review of Related Literature and Studies
The study explored concepts, articles and studies that are
related to the present investigation to establish clarity of

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terms, to present what has been known about the variables and to
determine the gap in terms of knowledge that led to the
conceptualization of this research. The review is presented in
according to its level of priority. These are as follows:
Health-Seeking Behavior. This includes definition of
health-seeking behavior, and its determinants.
Health Practice. This presents the definition of Health
Practice, and its types. Strategies in promoting health.
Perceived Health Problems. This presents the definition and
the determinants.
Factors affecting Health-Seeking Behavior and Health
Practices. This includes the definition of Individual Factor,
Demographic and Socio-economic Factor, Health beliefs Factors,
and Cultural Factors.
I. Health-Seeking Behavior
Definition of Health-Seeking Behavior
The following presents varied definitions of authors on
Health-Seeking Behavior:
In a study entitled “A choice experiment of the health-
seeking behavior of a select group of Filipino nursing students”,
Health seeking is defined as any practice done by people who

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believe they have a health condition or are sick to find a
suitable treatment. According to the researchers, Filipinos have
a propensity to put off or neglect preventative health-care
interventions before a disease manifest itself. The aim of this
research is to learn more about the health-seeking habits of a
select group of Filipino nursing students. Even though there have
been several studies on health-seeking behavior, the researchers
decided to concentrate on the health-seeking behavior of
students, specifically Filipino nursing students. Study showed
that a huge influence in terms of health-seeking behavior is “who
to consult first”. Filipino student nurses lean towards family
members to seek health advice when signs and symptoms increase in
number, severity, or duration (De Guzman, Ho and Indunan 2020).
Understanding health seeking behaviors and determining
factors help governments to adequately allocate and manage
existing health resources. The researcher measured the health
seeking behaviors of the participant using 4 indicators including
routine medical check-ups, preferences of healthcare facilities,
admission while having health problems, and refusal of health
services while ill. The results were, 77.3% of the participants
reported to have visited health centers while they had any health

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problems. More than half (51.7%) of them had a routine medical
check-up during the previous year, while 12.2% of them had
refused to seek healthcare when they felt ill during the last
five years. Of all, 39.1% of them reported preferring private
health services. Current smokers, having chronic diseases, having
poor perceptions on health, and spending less on health during
the last three months had about twice the odds of having routine
checkups. Higher education was shown to be a positive predictor
for the health-seeking behaviors, whereas having self-care
problems and having a moderate-income inversely associated with
seeking healthcare. Whereas the researchers concluded that the
utilization of public and private health sectors revealed evident
disparities in the socio-economic characteristics of
participants. The health-seeking behaviors were determined by
need factors including chronic disease status and having poor
health perception and by enabling factors such as education,
income, insurance status and ability to pay by oneself. These
findings highlight the need for further nationwide studies and
provide evidence for specific strategies to reduce the
socioeconomic inequalities in the use of healthcare services
(Abuduxike et. al, 2020).

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Health seeking behavior refers to actions that people resort
to undertake for the purpose of finding an appropriate remedy
that can occur for both actual and potential problems. When it
occurs for actual problems, it is called illness behavior and
when it occurs for potential problems, it is called health
behavior. Illness behavior defines any act of going in search of
a relief to fulfil a health need. While health behavior refers to
observable actions of individuals aimed at detecting or
preventing disease and improving of wellbeing (Babitsch et al.,
2012). Though nurses, and other health professionals are limited
by a utilitarian society to seek treatment from another health
professional because this is what they expect of their patients
(Helfand, 2013), study findings are contrary. A polish study
found self-prescription was rampant among nurses (Binkowska-Bury
et al., 2013). In Nigeria, it was found that 98.6% of the
respondents had ever self-prescribed, with 68.3% of these having
had self-prescribed within the last three months (Agaba et al.,
2011). In a survey to determine doctors’ personal choices in Hong
Kong, China; 64% of the respondents did not seek help from
another physician (Chen et al., 2008), findings that are
consistent with a Nigerian study that found that only 46.9% of
the respondents consulted another physician when last ill (Agaba

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et al, 2011). An Israeli study found that though doctors had
strong belief in screening tests, only 27.5% of the respondents
had undergone the tests with 55.6% blaming it on lack of time
(Peleg et al., 2013). Further, a Baltimore study found more than
half of the participants as not having a regular meal schedule
leading to poor eating habits and obesity (Nahm et al., 2012). In
Kenya, Taegtmeyer et al., (2008), found that health care
providers who had had a needle stick injury did not seek
treatment because of the fear HIV testing (Mchidi, 2012)
Health-seeking behavior has been defined as the activity
appropriate remedy [1]. Information of health seeking behavior
and health care utilization has important policy implications in
health system development. People seek help on health issues
based on several reasons and the factors which influence the
choice of treatment sources when symptoms occur include socio-
cultural factors, social networks, gender, and economic status.
Access to healthcare facilities in terms of cost of treatment and
healthcare provider attitude are also determinants of health
seeking behavior. There are indications that cost of prescribed
medicines, poor access to facilities and patient delays affects

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the patronage and utilization of public health services which
increase the use of other treatment sources such as community
pharmacies, drug peddlers, herbal medicine, religious or
spiritual care organizations and students in health-related
academic disciplines (Afolabi, Daropale, and Irinoye, 2013)
Health seeking behavior refers to the behavior of people
towards seeking their own health through provided health
services. The medical professionals are at a higher risk of
avoiding health seeking behavior because they believe they are
aware of the diseases and their symptoms as well as the
pharmaceutical management of the disease. The aim of this study
was to understand the healthcare seeking behavior of nurses and
doctors as well as the factors affecting it in hospitals of a
major city in a developing country. As a result, 194 doctors
(83%) had a greater access to medical facilities compared to 278
nurses (42%) (p<0.001). 176 Doctors (75%) compared to 262 nurses
(39%) were utilizing healthcare service more often (p<0.001).
Majority of the 494 nurses (74%) never visited a doctor for any
complaint over a period of one year compared to 132 doctors (56%)
(p=0.002). 234 Doctors (100%) and 662 nurses (99.7%) equally
self-medicated themselves (p=0.401). 134 Nurses (20%) were less
aware of the organization policies offered for employee’s ill-

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health compared to doctors 102(44%) (p<0.001). 530 Nurses (80%)
were also less aware of the significance of regular health
check-ups compared to 234 doctor (100%) (p<0.001).
Conclusions: Among the healthcare workers, doctors have greater
access to healthcare facilities. Majority of nurses do not
seek healthcare when they get sick. Self-medication is common
in both groups (Bana et al. 2016)
Determinants of Health-Seeking behavior
The following presents determinants of Health-Seeking
Behavior:
Understanding health-seeking behaviors and determining
factors help governments to adequately allocate and manage
existing health resources. Health-seeking behaviors were measured
using four indicators including routine medical check-ups,
preferences of healthcare facilities, admission while having
health problems, and refusal of health services while ill.
Results: About 77.3% of the participants reported to have visited
health centers while they had any health problems. More than half
(51.7%) of them had a routine medical check-up during the
previous year, while 12.2% of them had refused to seek healthcare
when they felt ill during the last five years. Of all, 39.1% of

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them reported preferring private health services. Current
smokers, having chronic diseases, having poor perceptions on
health, and spending less on health during the last three months
had about twice the odds of having routine checkups. Higher
education was shown to be a positive predictor for the health-
seeking behaviors, whereas having self-care problems and having a
moderate-income were inversely associated with seeking
healthcare. In conclusion, the utilization of public and private
health sectors revealed a great difference in the socio-economic
characteristics of participants. The health-seeking behaviors
were determined by need factors including chronic disease status
and having poor health perception and by enabling factors such as
education, income, insurance status and ability to pay by
oneself. These findings highlight the need for further nationwide
studies and provide evidence for specific strategies to reduce
the socioeconomic inequalities in the use of healthcare services
(Abuduxike et al. 2020)
Despite high prevalence rates, little is known about health
seeking and related expenditure for chronic non-communicable
diseases in low-income countries. The researcher assessed
relevant patterns of health seeking and related out-of-pocket
expenditure in Bangladesh. Results: Eight hundred sixty-six

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(12.5%) out of 6958 individuals reported at least one chronic
non-communicable disease. Of these 866 individuals, 139 (16%)
sought no care or self-care, 364 (42%) sought semi-qualified
care, and 363 (42%) sought qualified care. Multivariate analysis
confirmed that the following factors increased the likelihood of
seeking qualified care: a higher education, a major chronic non-
communicable disease, a higher socio-economic status, a lower
proportion of chronic household patients, and a shorter distance
between a household and a sub-district public referral health
facility. Seven hundred fifty-four (87 %) individuals reported
out-of-pocket expenditure, with drugs absorbing the largest
portion (85%) of total expenditure. On average, qualified care
seekers encountered the highest out-of-pocket expenditure,
followed by those who sought semi-qualified care and no care, or
self-care. Conclusion: The study reveals insufficiencies in
health provision for chronic conditions, with more than half of
all affected people still not seeking qualified care, and the
majority still encountering considerable out-of-pocket
expenditure. This calls for urgent measures to secure better
access to care and financial protection (Rasul et al. 2019)
The prevalence of hypertension in India over the last 30
years is known to have increased rapidly. Hypertension is a

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chronic disease that needs to be managed within its sociological
context as experienced by individuals. This study was conducted
to identify the quantitative and qualitative determinants of
healthcare-seeking behavior among hypertensive individuals in a
rural population of north India. As a result, A total of 100
participants with hypertension between 38 and 76 years of age
were included in the study. Out of the total study participants,
66.0% of the respondents were males and 34.0% were females.
Participants demonstrated a generalized knowledge of hypertension
and showed significant gaps and misconceptions in their
understanding of the disease and the need for seeking expert
care. There was also a lack of sense of trust in the healthcare
system. Various demographic, sociocultural, and economic
determinants of healthcare-seeking behavior in these rural
patients' services were explored. This evidence can prove helpful
in streamlining interventional programs and realigning the
existing interventions to prevent and control hypertension in
rural settings (Gupta et al. 2020)
In summary, health-seeking behavior is characterized as any
movement embraced by people who see themselves to have a medical
issue or to be sick to track down a suitable cure. The health-
seeking behaviors were determined by need factors. This increased

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the likelihood of seeking qualified care. Appropriate health
seeking behavior is important to minimize complications and
improve quality of life.
II. Health Practice
Definition of Health Practice
Health practice means using your own non-specific mechanisms
of defense to promote health and prevent illness in order to live
a healthy life (Surdu, 2014).
Health practice is a behavior that is beneficial to one’s
physical or mental health, often linked to a high level of
discipline and self-control.
There is a growing expectation in national and international
policy and from professional bodies that nurses be role models
for healthy behaviors, the rationale being that there is a
relationship between nurses' personal health and the adoption of
healthier behaviors by patients. This may be from patients being
motivated by, and modelling, the visible healthy lifestyle of the
nurse or that nurses are more willing to promote the health of
their patients by offering public health or health promotion
advice and referring the patient to support services (Muirreann,
2017).

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Individuals with mental illness often live-in chronic
poverty, which is associated with personal health practices such
as tobacco use and poor nutrition that disrupt physical health.
The purpose of our study was to examine whether differences exist
in personal health and health practices - related to nutrition,
physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption and sleep -
between a cohort of individuals with mental illness in
southwestern Ontario and the general Canadian population.
Individuals with mental illness are significantly more likely
than the general population to have a poor diet, experience poor
sleep and consume alcohol in excess. It is important for nurses,
health-care organizations, and policymakers to be aware that a
number of factors may be influencing the personal health and
health practices of individuals with mental illness and that this
population may require different health promotion strategies to
support a healthy lifestyle (Schofield et al.,2016)
Types of Health Practices
The following research works present types of health
practices that may take effect on health-seeking behavior:
Self-Prescription/Self-Medication. This is the most common
health seeking behaviors reported by medical students in case of

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illness (Sawalha, et al., 2017). Self-medication is getting and
consuming drug without the guidance of physician for either
diagnosis, treatment, or supervision of the treatment generally
involving over the counter (OTC) medications but also including
prescription-only medicines (POM), at the same time it includes
buying drugs by reutilizing/resubmitting a previous prescription,
taking medicines on advice of relative or others, or consuming
leftover medicines already available at home. According to the
World Health Organization, self-medication when practiced
correctly reduces the load on medical services, reduces the time
spent in waiting to see the physician, and saves cost especially
in poor countries with limited healthcare resources (Helal, et
al., 2017).
A study by Helal (2017) stressed most frequent conditions in
which the student self-medicated were cold, headache, sore
throat, intestinal colic, and lastly cramps. More than half of
students mentioned that the self-medicated drugs solved the
symptom. Other reasons for self-medication among university
students were their previous experiences, advice of family or
friends, their health problems being considered as too trivial,
time saving, nonavailability of transport, convenience, ability
to self-manage the symptoms, urgency of the problem, doctor that

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was not available, and having sufficient information. Students
reported that medical education, excessive waiting time to be
seen, cost and inaccessible medical services are the most common
reasons that affect their behavior in sickness in other studies
(Sawalha, et al., 2017).
Traditional/Cultural. Traditional medical (TM) practitioners
include manghihilot (or bone setter or partera), albularyo
(herbalist), mangtatawas (diagnostician, user of potassium alum),
and faith healers or espiritista in most Filipino languages, and
are more popular in the rural areas. They belong to the country’s
own traditions. Also, they are neither “part of conventional
medicine” nor “fully integrated into the dominant healthcare
system”. (Ladia et al., 2018). In the Philippines, complementary
and alternative medicine was a more cost-effective option than
finding medical support from physicians. Traditional medicine
practitioners were also easier to find in rural areas since they
usually lived in the same or neighboring barangay or village. The
study showed almost 25 percent sought the services of TM
practitioners like manghihilot and albularyo. Herbal medicines
and supplements were likewise used (25%) such as sambong (Blumea
balsamifera), lagundi (Vitex negundo), banaba (Lagerstroemia
speciosa), and oregano (Plectranthus amboinicus). Almost seven

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percent of apparently healthy individuals also availed of massage
services (Ladia et al., 2018).
A study by Tuliao et al (2014) surveyed college students
using pagtatanung-tanong (informally asking around), a
recommended indigenous research method for Philippine social
science research. In the Filipino American Epidemiological Study
(FACES) study, it reported Filipinos sought help for
psychological problems from friends, relatives, priests or
ministers, herbalists, spiritualists, and fortune-tellers.
Professional. A study in Scotland showed that most
respondents would choose to see a physician rather than a
pharmacist prescriber and some felt that their consultation with
the pharmacist could have been better (Dawood et al., 2019). Most
people can easily get access to non-prescription medicines for
short term usage and for minor illnesses and only consider
physicians’ consultation for major health problems(Chua, 2011).
In a study entitled “Assessment of health seeking behavior
and self-medication among general public in the state of Penang,
Malaysia” most people tend to visit a physician, although a
smaller percentage would consult a pharmacist when it comes to
facing any health problems. In addition, seeking for a physician
was found to be influenced by perceived the severity of illness

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among people. (Dawood, et al., 2016) The recommendation of
previous physicians was a frequent factor for self-medication,
and certain people seek the advice of a physician or pharmacist
for various ways to incorporate self-treatment into their
routine. Most participants prefer to see a doctor first when they
have a health problem, however a small percentage of the
population prefers seeking a pharmacist first. Even though people
have the freedom to get care from whomever they choose, it is
recommended that they seek medical advice.
Strategies in Promoting Health.
Good Health is the desire of everyone, the achievement of a
good health relies upon the person's capacity to carry on with a
positive way of life. Good health is hard to be accomplished
totally as human needs cannot be totally fulfilled at some random
time. An investigation which entitled, Health communication
Strategies as Gateway to Effective Health Promotion and Well-
being, said that health promotion upholds individual and society
advancement by providing information which improves health and
enhance wellbeing. Communication creates meaning to any data
given and changing a generally existing behavior is very
difficult. However, with compelling communication and utilization

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of effective strategies, behavioral change could be achieved.
Health communication campaign directly provides education to
people who are expected to adopt or change to a healthier
behavior. Health communication galvanizes people into action
promotes healthy lifestyle, prevents diseases, and improves the
health through eschewing destructive behavior like abuse of
substances (cigarette, drugs, and alcohol), maintaining personal
and environmental hygiene as well as cultivating a positive and
healthy sexual relationship. In this study, it cancels a portion
of the strategies received by the health educator to impact
individuals and achieve conduct charge. Some of them incorporate
health campaign, newsletters/journals, billboard, radio/
television, and social/internet media. Advantages of health
communication include expanding crowds' information and awareness
on health-related issues and its promotion for medical problem
and strategies were distinguished. Additionally, barriers, for
example, low health proficiency and poor communication were
recognized. It was inferred that wellbeing communication adds to
all parts of disease prevention and wellbeing promotion. Thus,
the recommendation is that health communication should be
included in all levels of health’s curriculum to enable health

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educators acquire better skills to promote health and improve
well-being. (Chukumati & Obiechina et., al 2017)
A conceptual framework was presented to address a shift
from compartmentalized arrangements toward a comprehensive
frameworks approach that supports organization across orders and
areas. It was discussed in this article about the practical tools
to assist with environmental decision making, such as Health
Impact Assessments, environmental public health tracking, and
cumulative risk assessment. Likewise, it was distinguished the
priorities in research, practice, and training to propel the role
of public health in decision making to improve health, such as
the Health Impact Assessment, as a core competency for
environmental health practitioners. The study empowers cross-
disciplinary correspondence, research, and training that bring
the fields of preparation, transportation, and energy in closer
coordinated effort with public health to jointly propel the
frameworks way to deal with the present ecological difficulties
(Koehler, et al., 2018).
Community-level policy, systems, and environmental (PSE)
change strategies may offer an economical and sustainable
approach to chronic disease prevention. The rapidly growing

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number of untested yet encouraging PSE techniques in progress
offers an exciting chance to build up practice-based proof for
this methodology. Changing Policy, System, and Environmental
features focused on physical activity and smart dieting practices
can play a key role in preventing obesity strategies in early
youth stage education settings because of their broad reach and
because they can be sustained over time. In the study about
“Implementation of policy, system and environment changes in
early childhood education settings”, it examined the
implementation and sustainability of health-promoting PSE changes
after facilitation of an innovative strategic planning process in
childcare settings. The article says that distinguishing health-
promoting policy, system and environment changes that are most
promptly implemented and sustained in childcare centers can
inform systems-level interventions and resource allocation
related to early childhood obesity. This strategic planning
process is a successful tool to translate sustainable changes
related to healthy eating and physical activity, improve the
quality rating of diverse childcare centers, and promote healthy
behaviors in early childhood (Farewell, C.V., Powers, J.N.,
Maiurro, E. et al 2020).

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Adopting a “health literacy social ecological model (HLSEM)”
may improve health or wellbeing literacy and patient engagement.
In this article entitled, “Improving low health literacy and
patient engagement: A social ecological approach, Patient
Education and Counseling”. They illustrate the five multilevel
intervention strategies for addressing low health literacy and
promoting patient engagement: accumulation, amplification,
facilitation, cascade, and convergence strategies. The practice
implications of embracing a more extensive social ecological
point of view to address low health literacy shifts the field
from considering about individual educational interventions to
how individual interventions may be upheld or supported by
interventions at additional levels of influence. The potential
benefit of adopting a multilevel intervention approach is that
combining interventions could produce synergies that are greater
than interventions that only utilize one level of influence
(McCormack L., Thomas V., Lewis A., Rudd R. et al., 2017).
According to World Health Organization (WHO), specified that
reorienting health services is the responsibility for health
promotion in health services is shared among individuals,
community groups, health professionals, health service
institutions and governments. Community-based strategies are

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strategies that commonly involve social and environmental change
across various contexts to avoid dysfunction and enhance well-
being across population groups in a specified local community.
The role of the health sector must move increasingly in a health
promotion direction, beyond its responsibility for providing
clinical and curative services. Health services need to embrace
an expanded mandate which is sensitive and respects cultural
needs. This mandate should support the needs of individuals and
communities for a healthier life, and open channels between the
health sector and broader social, political, economic, and
physical environmental components. In the study entitled,
“Quality improvement as a population health promotion opportunity
to reorient the healthcare system”, the researchers worked
directly with healthcare teams to link cultural safety, patient-
centeredness, and health equity to other dimensions of healthcare
quality and provided data from health status reports (Kryzanows,
J., Bloomquist, C.D., Dunn-Pierce, T. et al, 2019.
In conclusion, health practice is a behavior that is
beneficial to one’s physical or mental health, often linked to a
high level of discipline and self-control. Individuals' personal
health and health practices are influenced by a variety of

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factors, which includes self-prescription/self-medication,
traditional/cultural and professional. Health practice is
influenced by the health beliefs, the types, and the strategies
in promoting health. Health communication strategies aim to
change people's knowledge, attitudes, and/or behaviors.
Strategies in promoting health is a relevant contributor in
health seeking-behavior and health practices. Community-based
strategies generally involve social and environmental change to
avoid dysfunction and enhance well-being. This information will
help identify factors affecting health seeking behavior and
health practices.
III. Perceived Health Problems
Definition of Perceived Health Problems
The following are definition of perceived health problems:
Perceived health status indicates people’s overall
perception of their health, including both physical and
psychological dimensions (Bonner, et al., 2017). Perceived
health refers to a person's perception of signs, diagnoses,
and performance failures that are related to a greater risk
of mortality.

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Perceived health is an indicator of overall health status.
“Health” means not only the absence of disease or injury, but
also includes their overall physical, mental, and social well-
being. (Statistics Canada, 2016)
Determinants of Perceived Health Problem
The following presents determinants of perceived health
problem:
It presents a preliminary test of the conceptual model of
cognitive determinants of the perception of mental health status.
Results indicate the importance of cognitive factors like
attention, memory, and reasoning in the perception of mental
health status and support a direct causal interpretation of model
variables. Symptom checklist scores and path variables were found
to be the best predictors of help-seeking behavior (Hourani et
al.,2002).
Perceived health status indicates people’s overall
perception of their health, including both physical and
psychological dimensions. The aim of this study was to examine
the determinants of self-perceived health for Canadians aged 40
and older using data from the Canadian Community Health Survey
(2010). As a result, the researchers found that higher income was

31
significantly associated with better health status while chronic
conditions and stress were associated with worse health status.
In the 40–64 and 65+ age groups, individuals in the highest
income bracket were 4.65 and 1.94 times, respectively, more
likely to report better health than individuals in the lowest
income bracket. The difference in the level of income associated
health inequities between the two age groups point to the need
for understanding the reasons behind lower inequities among
seniors and how much the social protections provided by the
Canadian government to seniors contribute to lowering inequities.
(Bonner et al.,2017).
To sum up, perceive health problem is refers to the view of
an individual's wellbeing in general, either by the actual
individual or, on account of intermediary reaction, by the
individual reacting. Wellbeing implies the shortfall of infection
or injury as well as physical, mental, and social prosperity.
IV. Factors affecting the Health-Seeking and Health Practice
There are many factors that affects an event, decision, or
situation and these are presented as follows:
Individual

32
Undoubtedly, physical activity and stress management have a
significant role in personal health and occupational satisfaction
of students, which consequently help them provide better services
to clients (Hosseini et al., 2015). Individual factors that
affect the Health Seeking Behavior and Health practices are age,
class section, gender, marital status, religious belief,
allowance, living arrangements, birth order.
Family/ Socio-economic
Nursing education and clinical practice can undoubtedly
increase the necessary health knowledge of nursing students but
may not change their attitudes and actual health-promoting
behaviors. The correlations were determined between various
dimensions of a health-promoting lifestyle. Students with a
higher health management score and no family conflicts were more
likely to give a positive appraisal of their health status. It is
recommended that, using multiple strategies, nursing students be
empowered to manage their lifestyle and make a fair appraisal of
their well-being (Chow et al., 2018).
Health Belief
Health beliefs, particularly feelings of self-efficacy,
relate to an individual's perceived ability to perform a certain
behavior. These perceptions of self-efficacy may influence

33
whether individuals will attempt certain behaviors and how the
behaviors will be carried out (Cukor & Kimmel, 2017)
Culture
Considering the effect of educational, cultural, and
individual factors in developing nurses’ professional values; it
is recommended to the educational and health centers to consider
value-based cares in clinical environments for the patients in
addition to considering the content of educational programs based
on ethical values in the students’ curriculum (Parandeh et al.,
2015).
Concisely, the health-seeking behavior, health practices,
and perceived health problem are influence by the individual
factors, demographic and socio-economic factor, health belief
factors, and cultural factors
The following reviews will serve as a significant foundation
for the conduct of the study. The results will provide background
on the variables that could be included in the investigation.
While there is many research on health-seeking behavior, there
are only few studies on the health-seeking behavior of students,
particularly Filipino which is why this choice experiment was
conducted. Therefore, the goal of the study is to investigate

34
factors affecting the health-seeking behavior and health
practices of 3rd year student nurses of Saint Paul University
Tuguegarao.
Conceptual Framework
Figure 1. The study will be based on the illustration below:
Dependent variables Independent variables
Individual factors- age,

class section, gender,
HEALTH- marital status, religious
SEEKING belief, allowance, living
BEHAVIOR arrangements, birth order
Family factors- household
income, money spend most,
parent’s occupation,
health insurance cover,
workload, history of
HEALTH illness
PRACTICES Health beliefs/ Cultural
factors-health traditions
in relation to health and
illness
PERCEIVED
HEALTH
PROBLEM
Figure 1. Paradigm of the Study

35
The conceptual framework presents the correlational
relationship between variables of the study. The following
independent variables are: Individual Factors, Demographic and
Socio-economic Factors, Health Beliefs Factors, and Cultural
Factors that affects the Dependent Variables which are the
following: Health-Seeking behavior, Health Practice, and
Perceived Health Problem. The Framework present the cause- effect
of the variables. The researchers will conduct surveys with the
use of research tools to gather data on the mentioned inputs
needed and will be analyzed and interpreted by the researchers.
The findings on the analyzed and interpreted data will obtain
baseline data regarding the factor affecting the health seeking
behavior and health practices of 3rd year student nurse of St.
Paul University Philippines.
Statement of the Problem
Generally, the study seeks to determine the factors that
affect the health seeking behaviors and health practices of BSN3
students in St. Paul University Philippines.
Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following
questions:

36
1. What are the factors present among the participants of the
study?
1.1. Individual factors
1.2. Family factors
1.3. Health beliefs/ Cultural or health traditions in
relation to health and illness
2. What are the perceived health problems of the participants?
3. What is the health seeking behavior of the participants?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the identified
factors and the health seeking behaviors of the
participants?
5. What are the health practices of the participants when they
have health problems?
6. Is there a significant relationship between the identified
factors and the health practices of the participants?
Hypothesis
The following hypothesis will be tested at 0.05 level of
significance:

37
Ho1: There is no significant relationship between the factors
when grouped according to Health-seeking behavior, Health
Practices, and Perceive Health Problem variables.
Ho2: There is no significant relationship between the identified
factors and the health practices of the participants.
Scope and Limitation
This study focuses to determine the factors affecting the
health-seeking behavior and health practices of the 3rd year
Nursing Student of St. Paul University Philippines. The
participants include 155 3rd year Nursing Students, consisting of
118 female and 37 male ages 20-21. A Chi-square Test is use in
determining the health-seeking behavior of the participant, Chi-
square test compares the size any discrepancies between the
expected results and the actual results, given the size of the
sample and the number of variables in the relationship. To
measure the health practices Cross-sectional survey is utilized,
this research design in which you collect data from many
different individuals at a single point in time. The researchers
observe variables without influencing them. Next, individual
factors the SF-12 is used to test to measure assessing the impact
of health on an individual's everyday life. It is often used as a

38
quality-of-life measure. In demographic and socio-economic
factors descriptive-survey is being utilized to gather data about
varying health-seeking and health practices. This data aims to
know the extent to which different conditions can be obtained.
Next, health beliefs Bartlett's test is used to test if it has an
equal variance. And lastly, in Cultural factor in-depth interview
is used to obtained detailed information, its goal is to explore
in depth respondents’ point of view, experiences, Feelings, and
perspectives. The question will be administered for 15 minutes.
Significance of the Study
This study focused on determining the health seeking
behavior and health practices of third year student nurses of St.
Paul University Philippines. Moreover, the results of this study
will be beneficial to the following:
The Students. Student will be the direct recipient of this
study specifically on determining the health seeking behavior and
health practices that can improve health outcomes. This study can
increase the level of awareness and knowledge of the students
specifically on the factors that affects health wellness.

39
The Teachers. Teacher may use this research study to help
them in their discussion regarding health seeking behaviors and
health practices. It will be easier for them to tackle this as
for discussion as it consists of data that focus on the health
seeking behavior and health practices specifically among nursing
students.
Researchers. This study could provide learnings regarding
factors affecting the health seeking behavior and health
practices that could be applied amidst the pandemic. It will also
be beneficial not only in terms of intellectual advancements but
in preparation for a tougher and more complex study in the
future.
Future Researchers. The study presented may be used as a
reference data specially on the future researchers who will
conduct new research that is inline to the focus of the study or
undertaking similar study.
Definition of Terms
The following terms were defined operationally in this study
for clearer understanding of the variables under investigation:

40
Behavior. It is the manner in which one acts or conducts,
particularly toward others.
Cultural factors. This is a collection of beliefs and ideals
shared by a community or group of people. It is an individual's
culture that determines how he or she acts.
Demographic factors. It refers to a characteristic of a
population. Demographic information provides data regarding
research participants and is necessary for the determination of
whether the individuals in a particular study are a
representative sample of the target population for generalization
purposes are.
Individual factors. These are the factors that contribute to
the success of the information system according to the
organizational characteristics.
Health beliefs. These are a person's culturally established
views about their health, including what they believe defines
health, the source of their sickness, and how to overcome it.
Health practice. It means using your own defense to promote
health and prevent illness to live a healthy life. A health
practice is a lifestyle that is favorable to one's physical or

41
mental health and is frequently associated with self-control and
discipline.
Health seeking behavior. Is any activity or action
appropriate remedy

42
Chapter 2
METHODOLOGY
This chapter contains the methods and procedures that were
used in the study. It includes the research design, participants
of the study, instrumentation, data gathering procedure and the
data analysis tools which were utilized to analyze the gathered
data.
Research Design
This investigation will utilize the quantitative research
approach. The quantitative approach, particularly using the
descriptive-correlational research design, is intended to
describe and correlate factors affecting the health-seeking
behavior and health practices of 3rd year student nurses of St.
Paul University Philippines. This method involves describing the
present factors including individual, family, health
beliefs/cultural factors. Describing health-seeking behavior and
describing the health practices. This study also involves
determining the relationship between health-seeking behavior and
the factors, health practices and the factors.
Participants of the Study

43
The participants involved in the study are student-
participants, from the 3rd year level of nursing student at St.
Paul University Philippines, Tuguegarao enrolled in the second
semester, academic year 2020-2021.
This table below shows the distribution of the participants
according to their sections.
Table 1. Distribution of the Participants of the Study
Section Total Population Number of

Participants
Section A 34 25
Section B 39 28
Section C 39 28
Section D 39 28
Total 151 109
There is a total population of 151 participants, composed of
115 females and 36 males, covered in the study. In the total
population, the researchers will randomly select 109
participants, which will be distributed and divided into four
sections. A sample size of 109 participants drawn from the total
population of 151 through stratified random sampling technique.
The sample size is calculated through the online sample size
calculator (SurveyMonkey). There will be 25 students to be asked
in sections A and 28 in section B, C and D. The stratified
random sample is obtained using the formula: (sample

44
size/population size) x stratum size. The participants will be
asked about their health-seeking behavior and health practices
and factors affecting it. And the result of the survey
questionnaire will serve as a basis in determining the
relationship between the factors affecting their health seeking
behavior and health practices.
Instrumentation
To gather data, the researchers developed a tool that would
gather the factors affecting the health-seeking behavior and
health practices questionnaire and that will be used in the
study. The questionnaire was based on the tool from the study of
Mchidi (2016) Health seeking behavior among Nurses working in
Kakamega Country. It consists of 4 parts. The first part elicits
information as to the factors present among the participants of
the study, in terms of Individual, Family, Health beliefs/
Cultural or health traditions. Second part draws out data on the
perceived health problem of the participants. The third part
elicits information as to the health-seeking behavior of the
participants. And lastly the health practice, this determines the
health practices of the participant when they have health
problem.

45
The part 1 of the questionnaire has the following sub-parts:
Individual factors. This question assesses the participants’
profile in terms of their Age, Gender, Marital status, Religious
belief, living arrangement, and birth order the participants
respond by selecting answers and putting a check mark on the
appropriate spaces.
Family factors. This part will be gathering information
regarding the participants family household income, where the
family normally spend most money, parent’s occupation, health
insurance cover, satisfaction in terms of their health insurance,
workload, and history of illness. The participants will be
selecting answers by putting a check mark on the appropriate
spaces.
Health beliefs/ Cultural factors. This question involves 7
items which aims to assess the participants health
beliefs/cultural traditions in relation to their health and
illness. This part consists of questions regarding the
participants satisfaction with the health service they have
access, and the quality of health service. The participants will
be selecting answers by putting a check mark on the appropriate
spaces.

46
Perceived health problem questionnaire. This includes 9
items which assess what are the participants perceived health
problems. The participants will be selecting answers by putting
a check mark on the appropriate spaces.
Health-seeking Behavior questionnaire. This will be used to
assess the activity or action undertaken by the participants
regarding their health-seeking behavior.
Health practice Questionnaire. This will assess the health
practices of the participants when they have health problems. The
participants will be writing their response.
The questionnaires that were used by the researchers were
given to the research adviser for comments, suggestions, and
corrections. The result of the revision served as a basis for its
improvement and refinement of the said instruments. Thus, it was
assessed in terms of its construction, organization, structure,
and purpose. The questionnaire will be pretested to participants
with the same characteristics but in a different locality.
Data Gathering Procedure
To obtain the data needed for the investigation, the following
procedures will be undertaken by the researchers.

47
1. The researchers will present the study for approval to a
panel of examiners and submit the revised proposal for
approval of St. Paul University Philippines (SPUP) Research
ethics Committee.
2. The researchers will frame letter of request to the dean of
nursing of St. Paul University Philippines (SPUP) and the
coordinating team of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing
(BSN) students to conduct the study.
3. Upon the approval of the letter of request, the researchers
will encode the tool in Google forms.
4. The 109 number of total participants will be identified.
There will be 109 informed consent forms that will be sent
through Google forms to ensure that the study conforms to
the ethical norms of research. Should there be any concerns,
questions, or clarification with regards to the
participation in the study, the researchers have included
their contact information such as mobile numbers, email
address, or social media accounts in the said form so the
participants could freely contact them real time while
answering the questionnaire. Once the participants agree to
participate, they can just access the link.

48
5. Upon approval of the dean, the researchers will confer with
the BSN coordinating team on the schedule of the data
gathering particularly on the online distribution of the
questionnaires through Google forms for the BSN 3 students.
The following are the details of the processes that will be
involved in obtaining the specific data:
1. Administration of the profile questionnaire. The researcher
in coordination with the student-participants agree on the
specific time and date to administer the question via Google
forms. The researchers will show directions to ensure that
the participants would understand how to answer the
questionnaire. If there will be any concerns, the
researchers will also attach contact details such as numbers
or social media lines in the said form so that the
participants could freely contact them real time while
answering the form.
The data that will be obtained from the questionnaires will be
tallied for statistical treatment.
Data Analysis Tools

49
The data that will be obtained will be tallied and treated
determining the factors affecting the health seeking behavior and
health practices of the participants, using the following
statistical tools:
Frequency and Percentage. This will be used to interpret the
profile of the participants.
Mean. This will be used to determine the participants
perceived health problem, health seeking behavior and health
practices.
Chi-square (x2) Test. This will be used to determine the
relationship between health seeking behavior and health practices
of the participants.

50
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55
Appendix A
LETTER OF PERMISSION TO THE PROGRAM COORDINATOR OF THE NURSING

DEPARTMENT
DR. ELIZABETH C. BAUA

Program Coordinator for Nursing
Dear Ma’am:
Greetings of Peace!
We, the 3rd year student nurses of this university will be

conducting a study entitled “Factors Affecting the Health-seeking
behavior and Health Practices of 3rd Year Student Nurses of St.
Paul University Philippines” as a final requirement for our
subject, NCM 111: Nursing Research 1. The said research aims to
determine the factors that affect the health seeking behaviors
and health practices of BSN3 students enrolled in St. Paul
University Philippines.
In this regard, we would like to respectfully ask your

permission to allow us to conduct our study through administering
questionnaires to the selected students, specifically, the 3rd
year student nurses of this university for us to obtain an
accurate data needed for the completion of our research. Rest
assured that the data gathered will be strictly for research
purposes only and will be kept with utmost confidentiality.
For inquiries and clarifications, we can be reached through

via e-mail at iamkeithaquino@gmail.com. We are very willing to
answer any queries that you may have regarding our research.
Attached here with are copies of our research questionnaire,

research questions and informed consent form for your perusal.
Your approval regarding this request is highly appreciated.
Thank you and Godspeed!
Respectfully yours,

56
(SGD) KRISTIENE KEITH C. AQUINO (SGD)KELLY G. CATSUELA
(SGD)ISABELLE ARLETTE V. SANTOS (SGD)JEREMIAH P. LAGRIO

Researchers
Noted by:
(SGD) DR. JOSEPHINE LORICA
Class Facilitator

57
Appendix B
INFORMED CONSENT FORM FOR PARTICIPATION IN RESEARCH
INFORMATION SHEET
We, the undersigned, are students of the SNAHS Department of

the St. Paul University Philippines and currently enrolled as 3 rd
year student nurses. We wish to invite you to participate in this
research project that we are undertaking for the completion of
our requirement for the said course. Before you participate in
this research, feel free to voice out any concerns you may have
to us. We will be very willing to answer any questions you may
have about the nature if our research.
You are being invited to take part in this research because

the study research aims to the factors that affect the health
seeking behaviors and health practices of BSN3 students in St.
Paul University Philippines and we believe that you can
contribute much to this project. Your participation in this
research is entirely voluntary. We can assure you that no
physical risks will be incurred unto you while participating in
this study. Whether or not you choose to participate will not
have any effect on your standing as student in the university.
Having been able to decide to participate in this study, you are
still free to withdraw your participation the moment that you
feel safety and privacy is at risk.
The research will make use of questionnaire as the method of

collecting data. Answering the questionnaire would last for about
15-30 minutes. If you cannot understand a particular question
asked in the questionnaire, you are free to seek clarifications

58
from us. Rest assured that the personal information that you
entrust to us will solely be used for research purposes only. All
information that will be obtained during the data collection
process will be held confidential.
If you have any questions or concerns after answering the

questionnaire, you may contact us through our e-mail at
iamkeithaquino@gmail.com. This research project was approved by
the University Research Council (URC) and Research Area of the
University of Saint Paul University of the Philippines.
Respectfully yours,
KRISTIENE KEITH C. AQUINO KELLY G. CATSUELA
ISABELLE ARLETTE V. SANTOS JEREMIAH P. LAGRIO
Researchers
Noted by:
(SGD) DR. JOSEPHINE LORICA
Class Facilitator
(SGD) DR. ELIZABETH C. BAUA
Program Coordinator for Nursing
Approved by:
(SGD) DR. ANUNCIACION T. TALOSIG
Dean

59
School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

60
CERTIFICATE OF CONSENT
I have read the foregoing information and have had the

opportunity to clarify my concerns. The questions that I have
raised were answered satisfactorily. I am, therefore, giving my
voluntary consent to be a participant in this study.
Signature over printed name of Participant:

_________________________________________
Birthdate of Participant: _______________________
Date: ________________________
Statement by the Researchers:
I have accurately read out the information sheet to the

potential participant, and to the best of my ability made sure
that the participant understood the content.
I confirm that the participant was given the opportunity to

ask questions, and all the questions asked by the participant
have been answered correctly. I confirm that the individual has
not been coerced into giving consent.
Signature over printed name of Researcher:

_________________________________________
Date: ____________________________________

61
Appendix C
QUESTIONNAIRE
Instructions: Carefully read each of the following
questions before you respond by filling out the questions
or checking the box as appropriate to the best that
reflects your opinion and your knowledge. Please be
completely open and honest in your responses. Your
information will be kept confidential.
Name (Optional): _______________________ Questionnaire #:
__
Date: ________ Section: □ A □ B □ C □ D
PART I: FACTORS PRESENT AMONG THE PARTICIPANTS
A. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS.
1. What is your age IN COMPLETED
years? (Please write) ____________

2. What is your 1  Male
GENDER? (Check one 2  Female
box only)
3. What is your MARITAL 1  Married.

62
STATUS? (Check one box 2  Single.
only) 3  Separated
4  Divorced
5  Widowed
4. What is your RELIGION? 1  Protestant.
(Check one box only) 2  Muslim.
3  Catholic.
4  Other (Specify)
5. What is your LIVING 1  Renting
ARRANGEMENT? 2  Foster
(Check one box only) 3 Independent
Living.
4  Group home
6. What is your BIRTH ORDER? 1  1st
(Check one box only) Born.
2  Middle
Born.
3  Last
Born.
5 Only
child.
6 Other

63
(Specify)
B. FAMILY FACTORS.
7. What is your estimated monthly
HOUSEHOLD INCOME? (Please ___________________
write)
8. On what do you NORMALLY SPEND 1  Food
MOST money? 2  Clothing.
(Check all that apply) 3
Healthca
re
4  School
fees.
5  Leisure
6 Other (Specify)
9. What is your PARENTS
OCCUPATION? ________ .
(Please write)
10. Which HEATH INSURANCE COVER do
you have? ________
(Please write)

64
11. ARE YOU SATISFIED with  No
your health insurance  Yes
cover in catering for your
health needs? (Check one
box only)
12. EXPLAIN your answer
above. (Please write) _______________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
______
13. On average HOW MANY 1  Less than 40 hours
HOURS do you/your family 2  40 - 50 hours.
member work per week? 3  More than 50 hours.
(Check one box)

14. On a scale of VERY LOW 1  Very low.
TO VERY HIGH, how would 2  Low.
you rate the workload 3  Moderate.
that you handle in your 4  High.
work now? 5  Very high.
(Check one box only for
person who work)

15. Has any of your family 1  Yes
have ILLNESS? (Specify)
2  No

65
16. If you feel ill and had 1  Public Facility.
a CHOICE, WHERE WOULD YOU 2  Private facility.
seek treatment from? (Check 3 Self-
one box only). treatment.
4  Other
17. FAMILY HISORY OF ILLNESS
High blood pressure  No 2  Yes  Not sure
Relationship to the __Age of Onset
participant: __________
High cholesterol  No 2  Yes  Not sure
Heart disease or heart  No 2  Yes  Not sure
attack __Age of Onset
Relationship to the
 No 2  Yes  Not sure
Stroke __Age of Onset
Relationship to the

66
Diabetes/sugar disease __Age of Onset
Relationship to the
Cancer __Age of Onset
Relationship to the
Type/s: _______
Asthma __Age of Onset
Relationship to the
Alzheimer’s disease __Age of Onset
Relationship to the
Birth defects __Age of Onset
Type/s: ________
 No 2  Yes
Vision loss/hearing loss  Not sure
C. HEALTH BELIEFS/ CULTURAL.

67
18. Are you SATISFIED WITH 1  No.
THE HEALTH services that you 2  Yes.
have ACCESS to in this
County?
19. Please EXPLAIN _______________________________
your answer above. _______________________________
(Please write) _______________________________
______
20. Are you satisfied with 1  No.
the QUALITY OF HEALTH 2  Yes.
services that are
available to you? (Check
one box only).

21. Please EXPLAIN _______________________________
your answer above. _______________________________
(Please write) _______________________________
______
22. What in your opinion can _______________________________
be done about THE QUALITY OF _______________________________
HEALTH SERVICE(S) that is _______________________________
accessible to you to in this _______________________________
County? (Please write). _______________________________
_____
23. Do you believe in 1 No.
traditional healers like 2  Yes.
albularyo or manggamot?

68
(Check one box only).

24. Have you visited any 1 No.
traditional healer? (Check 2  Yes.
one box only).
PART II: PERCEIVED HEALTH POBLEMS

25. Overall, how do you rate your 1  Poor
CURRENT HEALTH? 2  Fair
(Check one box only) 3  Good
4 Very
good
5 5Excel
lent
26. In comparison to ONE YEAR AGO, 1  Worse.
how would you rate your GENERAL 2  Fairer.
HEALTH now? 3  About the
(Check one box only). same. 4 
Good.
6 5  Very good.
27. If you compare your PHYSICAL 1 Much worse than
HEALTH with other individuals of theirs.
your age and gender, you would 2 somewhat worse
say it is: than theirs. 3 
(Check one box only) About the same as
theirs.

69
4  Better than theirs.
7 Much better than
theirs.
28. Comparing your PSYCHOLOGICAL 1 Much worse than
HEALTH with other individuals of theirs.
your age and gender, you would 2 somewhat worse
say it is: than theirs. 3 
(Check one box only) About the same as
theirs.
4  Better than theirs.
8 Much better than
theirs.
29. How CONCERNED OR WORRIED about 1  Not
your health have you been in the concerned at
last 12 months? (Check one box all. 2 
only) Slightly
concerned.
9 3  Somewhat concerned.
4  Moderately
concerned. 5 
Extremely concerned.
30. How do you expect your HEALTH 1  Worse.
to be in two years? 2  Fairer.
(Check one box only) 3  About the
same. 4 
70
Good
10 5  Very good.
31. Check is this so? (Please _________________________
Write) _________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
______

71
32. Do you suffer from any of 1  Diabetes
these chronic illnesses? mellitus. 2
(Check all that apply) 
Hypertension
3  HIV.
4  Mental illness.
5  Cancer (specify) 6 
Rheumatism
7  Asthma
8  Epilepsy.
9Other(specify) 10 
No.
33. Where do you receive 1  Private facility.
your CHRONIC DISEASE 2 Other (specify)
treatment/ management
from?
(Check one box only).
PART III: HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOR

34. When receiving care from 1  Almost
your provider, HOW OFTEN ARE never 2 
YOU ASKED for your ideas when Generally

72
making a treatment plan? not 3 
(Check one box only). Sometimes
4  Most of
the time 5 
Almost
always
35. In the last 12 months, have 1  No
you ever gone to 2  Yes
Hospital (JUST FOR MEDICAL
CHECKUP)?
36. If YES, what was the 1  I was worried about
reason for you to do the my health.
check-up? 2  The test was offered
(Check one box). for free.
3 I wanted to be in
control of my health.
4  I know I am at risk
of disease.
5  I had been feeling
bad lately.
3  Not applicable.
37. If YES, what check-up (s) _________________________
did you undertake? (Please list _________________________
all). _________________________
_________________________

73
_________________________
_________________________
______
38. If YES, how did you pay for 1  Through insurance.
the said check-up? (Check one 2  The test was offered
box). for free.
4  Out of pocket.
39. If No in (35) above, what 1  I have not gotten
would be your explanation for adequate time. 2  I
this? fear finding
(Check one box only) something worse.
3  I don’t see anything
wrong with me. 4  I
can’t get the test I
want around
5  (Other, specify)
7 Money problems have
prevented me.
5 I fear my
confidentiality is not
guaranteed.

74
PART III: HEALTH PRACTICES
40. When is THE LAST TIME YOU were 1  Within 7 days ago.
ill (physically or mentally)? 2  7 to 30 days ago
(Check one box only) 3  > 1 month but less than
3 months ago
4  > 3 months but less than
6 months ago 5  > six
months ago.
41. What type of illness did you ___________________________
suffer in 40 ___________________________
above? (Please write) ___________________________
___
42. How did you know what was 1Self-diagnosis since I
making you ill? (Check one box know the symptoms.
only). 2 Diagnosed in the
hospital/clinic by a
doctor.
3  A colleague at work
told me the diagnosis.
4 A friend/ Neighbor
told me the diagnosis.

43. Was this ILLNESS THAT you last 1  No.
suffered 2  Yes.
severe? (Check one box only)

44. Did you SEEK TREATMENT THIS 1  No. (Go to question 51)

75
time you were ill? (Check one 2  Yes
box only)
45. IF YES, whom did you 1  Medical
consult? (Check one box doctor. 2 
only). Nurse.
3  Clinical
officer. 4 
Not
applicable.
5  Other (specify) .
46. How best can you describe the 1  Private practitioner.
practice of the 2  Public practitioner.
person you consulted above:

47. How did you decide on the 1  His/her specialty
person to consult in 2  His/ Her clinical
45 above? experience. 3  He/
(Check one box only) she is a family
friend. 4  My
spouse advised.
5  It did not matter.
48. Were you able to get all 1  Yes.
TREATMENT you needed this time? 2  No.

49. If no, why not? ( Please ___________________________
explain) ___________________________
___________________________
76
___________________________
___________________________
_____
50. If you DID NOT SEEK HELP IN 45 1  Nothing.
above, what did you do? 2 Took over the
(Check one box only). counter medication. 3 
Took prescription
medicine.
4  Took herbal
medicine. 5 
Not applicable.
6  Other .
51. What is the name/ type of drug ___________________________
(s) you self-medicated? (Please ___________________________
list all) ___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
_____
52. What would be your reason for 1  I didn’t have time to
not consulting a health go to hospital.
professional? 2  I am comfortable with
(Check all that apply only) self-treatment. 3  Money
problems prevented me.
4  I could not get the
service I wanted 5  Not

77
applicable.
6 My
confidentiality was
not guaranteed.
7  Other (specify)

78
END OF QUESTIONNAIRE.
Thank you for participating.

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1

St. Paul University Philippines

FACTORS AFFECTING THE HEALTH-SEEKING BEHAVIOR AND

HEALTH PRACTICES OF 3RD YEAR STUDENT NURSES OF

ST. PAUL UNIVERSITY PHILIPPINES

A Thesis Submitted to the

Faculty of School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

St. Paul University Philippines

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

of the Requirements for

NCM 111: Nursing Research 1

Aquino, Kristiene Keith C.

Santos, Isabelle Arlette V.

Mrs. Josephine Lorica, RN, DPA

SPUP School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

SPUP School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

THE PROBLEM AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Mchidi (2021, as cited in Chen, 2008) said that Nurse form a

fundamental part of the health workforce worldwide and their

contribution is essential to delivering safe care. Health care is

only safe to the extent that the person providing it is also of

good health. There is growing interest in the health of the

health care provider stemming from the realization that a healthy

population depends on a healthy workforce that leads as an

example. This has stimulated countries like China to start

programs aimed at improving their health professionals’ health.

With increasing morbidity in the health profession, the health of

the nurse must receive scrutiny by urgently seeking ways that

enhance their utilization of health services if they have to make

health seeking behavior advice to patients realistic.

Nursing student have gotten familiar with adjusting rapidly,

going through areas, and moving quickly starting with one

challenge then onto the next. Working through a pandemic has

changed all parts of our lives, and it have energetically taken

on new duties to help everyone around us with brief period to

SPUP School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

future nurse one of the most important in everyone’s life is

their Health, 'Health' is a state of complete physical, social,

and mental wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or

infirmity. Health is thus a level of functional efficiency of

living beings and a general condition of a person’s mind, body,

and spirit, meaning it is free from illness, injury, and pain.

Health-seeking behavior can be defined as any action

undertaken by individuals who perceive themselves to have a

health problem or to be ill for the purpose of finding an

appropriate remedy (Oberoi et al., 2016). Although there are many

studies on health-seeking behavior, there are few studies on the

health-seeking behavior of students, especially Filipino student

nurses, which is why this choice of experiment was conducted.

Culturally, Filipinos have a natural propensity of delaying or

avoiding preventative health-care steps before the onset of an

illness. Patient delay is an increasing issue for health care

providers. This study seeks to determine the factors affecting

health seeking behavior and health practices of certain Filipino

Various studies about health seeking behavior have been

conducted as the years progressed. Health seeking behavior can

SPUP School of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences

contribute a huge degree to the wellbeing status of each person

which incorporates various factors that influences their health.

The researcher knows that student nurses have an increase

knowledge about health practices since they are focus on disease

prevention and health promotion since health promotion reduce the

risk of developing chronic diseases and other morbidities.