Payesh (Jun 2024)
The prevalence and factors related to healthcare avoidance among women in reproductive age during COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study
Abstract
Objective (s): The widespread prevalence of corona disease in the world caused a wide range of people to avoid referring to healthcare centers due to the fear of the disease. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the prevalence and factors related to healthcare avoidance among women of reproductive age during the COVID-19 pandemic Methods: This was performed on 250 women of reproductive age in Tehran city in 2022. Available sampling was done among women who had documents in health care centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Inclusion criteria included being married, age 15-45 years, ability to read and write, ability to use virtual media, and exclusion criteria included failure to fully answer the questionnaires. Data collection tools included a demographic information questionnaire and a DASS-21 questionnaire. Results: The overall prevalence of healthcare avoidance during the COVID pandemic was 17.36%, which contains: the rate of avoiding going to the doctor (27.6%), surgery (14%), Pap smear (14.8%), ultrasound and mammography (18%) and laboratory tests (12.4%). Factors related to healthcare avoidance included lower level of education among women and their spouses, unfavorable health status, history of infertility, history of chronic diseases, higher levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, and being worried about contracting the coronavirus. Overall 17.36% of Iranian women had avoided visiting health care during the covid pandemic, and the highest rate was related to avoiding visiting physicians. These findings suggest the need for public education, especially people at risk, to timely visit health centers in order to prevent adverse consequences.
