Symptom-specific health-seeking behaviour for common infectious diseases and implications in disease control and surveillance: abridged secondary publication
EHY Lau, IOL Wong, DKM Ip, KO Kwok, BJ Cowling
School of Public Health, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
 
 
1. Health-seeking behaviour varies considerably across patients with different symptoms.
2. Characterising and understanding factors associated with symptom-specific health-seeking behaviour facilitate planning of healthcare resources and development.
3. Worry of disease transmission is the most important factor associated with reduction in contacts. It is associated with sick leave taking for symptoms such as fever, dizziness, cough, myalgia, and headache only.