Health services utilization in the rural households of Fars province

Different factors affect behavior of individuals faced with diseases. The aim of this cross sectional study was to analyze health seeking behavior and patterns of health system services utilization among rural population of Fars province. 198 rural households were selected by systematic random sampling method in 2011. Data were collected by standardized questionnaire and by interviewing the most knowledgeable person in the household. Data were analyzed by Fisher exact test and Chi-Square test. There were significant associations between marital status، having insurance coverage and insurance type with the likelihood of seeking care and utilized services level. With regards to inappropriate use of the referral system and the benefits of rural insurance system، rural insurance system reform، increasing community awareness and training of physicians and pharmacists is recommended to improve the patterns of health services utilization.