چکیده (انگلیسی):

Background:Canadians’ health care-seeking behaviour for physical and mental health issues was examined using
the international Quality and Cost of Primary Care (QUALICOPC) survey that was conducted in 2013 in Canada.
Method:This study used the cross-sectional Patient Experiences Survey collected from 7260 patients in 759 practices
across 10 Canadian provinces as part of the QUALICOPC study. A Responsive Care Scale (RCS) was constructed to
reflect the degree of health care-seeking behaviour across 11 health conditions. Using several patient characteristics as
independent variables, four multiple regression analyses were conducted.
Results:Patients’ self-reports indicated that there were gender differences in health care-seeking behaviour, with
women reporting they visited their primary care providertoagreaterextentthandidmenforbothphysicaland
mental health concerns. Overall, patients were less likely to seek care for mental healthconcernsincomparison
to physical health concerns. For both women and men, the results of the regressions indicated that age, illness
prevention, trust in physicians and chronic conditions were important factors when explaining health care-seeking
behaviours for mental health concerns.
Conclusion:This study confirms the gender differences in health care-seeking behaviour advances previous
research by exploring in detail the variables predicting differences in health care-seeking behaviour for men and
women. The variables were better predictors of health care-seeking behaviour in response to mental health concerns
than physical health concerns, likely reflecting greater variation among those seeking mental health care. This study
has implications for those working to improve barriers to health care access by identifying those more likely to engage
in health care-seeking behaviours and the variables predicting health care-seeking. Consequently, those who are not
accessing primary care can be targeted and policies can be developed and put in place to promote their health
care-seeking behavior.