MOTHERS ’ SATISFACTION WITH HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND HEALTH

The purpose of this study was to understand the influence of mothers ‟ satisfaction with health care on health seeking behaviour for children under-five. With a qualitative approach, this study used focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews to collect data from thirty seven (37) respondents but the focus was on twenty (27) mothers with children under-five in Okwampa, a small rural community in Ghana. The health care utilisation and the Donabedian models were adopted as analytical frameworks to structure the analysis. The study found out that mothers perceive health care service for children under-five in Okwampa to be socially and culturally accepted. However, it was revealed that their decision to seek health care was influenced by the severity of sickness. Another finding was that recovery of the sick child is the main factor that affects of mothers ‟ satisfaction with health care services for children. Regarding the purpose of the study, it was evident that mothers‟ satisfaction with characteristics of both health care providers and the facility influenced their decision to seek health care for the sick under-five.