Health Check: The Health-Seeking Behavior and Social Determinants of Health among Residents of Angono, Rizal during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

With new protocols implemented and strict community quarantines put in place, people’s lives were affected and changed during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. As such, COVID-19 impacted their actions and inactions at the height of the pandemic in terms of their health behavior and health-seeking behavior. Hence, the study aimed to identify people’s health behavior and health-seeking behavior and to determine the social factors that affect these behaviors in the context of residents in Angono, Rizal in the Philippines. The findings of this exploratory research were gathered through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with study participants fitting the criteria. The research instrument was solely created by the researchers and was based on the research questions of this study. Results show that the pandemic led to positive and negative changes in residents’ health behavior. Health and safety were residents' top priorities in decision-making during that time. Results also show that the practice of self-medicating was very evident among residents in treating their illnesses or symptoms. Also, residents’ health-seeking behavior is formed due to the dimensions of access to health services, the necessity to go outside of their homes, and the strict implementation of quarantine protocols that serve as the significant social factors present in the rural community of Angono.