Determining the Associated Factors of Mothers’ Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour for Common Childhood Morbidity Among Tribal and Non-tribal Communities in India Using Andersen’s Behavioural Model

Appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviour can improve child health outcomes and reduce child morbidity and mortality. This study examines the factors influencing healthcare-seeking behaviour for common childhood morbidity, focusing on tribal and non-tribal mothers of children aged 0–59 months in India. The present study used secondary data from the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (2019–2021). Descriptive statistics, bivariate chi-square significance test and binary logistic regression models were applied to accomplish the study objectives. The findings revealed that overall 80% of mothers recalled having care-seeking for their sick children with sharp tribal and non-tribal contrast. The factors associated with healthcare-seeking behaviour for children were age and sex of the child, household size, wealth, mother’s exposure to mass media, health and transport facilities and place of residence. Tribal mothers who reported that distance to the health facility was a major issue were less likely to seek healthcare. Rich households were more likely to seek healthcare for their sick children, which was more common among non-tribal mothers. The findings urge for effective and robust health policy interventions to enhance healthcare-seeking behaviour of mothers for childhood morbidities with a special emphasis on the tribal population.