Health service use and obesity awareness in individuals according to the health belief model

In this study, it is aimed to determine the level of individuals' health beliefs and attitudes regarding obesity, obesity awareness and health service request postponement behavior, to determine the relationship between them, to reveal their differences according to their sociodemographic characteristics, and to determine the mediator of obesity awareness in the relationship between health beliefs and attitudes regarding obesity and healthcare request postponement behavior. The aim was to determine its effect. The research population consists of individuals aged 18 and over living in Burdur province. With the purposeful sampling method, 550 people were reached with a margin of error of ±5 within a 95% confidence interval. The data collection tools in the research include the "Obesity Health Belief Model Scale" and "Health Service Demand Postponement Behavior Scale", "Obesity Awareness Scale" and sociodemographic questions. 37.5% of the individuals participating in the research are overweight and 20.7% are obese. When the health beliefs and attitudes of the participants are examined, it is seen that the perception of seriousness has the highest average, followed by the perceptions of benefit and sensitivity. The perception of the importance of health and obstacles has a low average. It was determined that the participants' awareness of obesity was high and their health service demand postponement behavior was at a medium level. According to the results of the correlation analysis, a low-level negative relationship was found between the perception of the importance and seriousness of health and health service demand postponement behavior, and a low-level positive relationship was found between the perception of obstacle. A low level positive relationship was found between obesity awareness and the importance of health, sensitivity perception and benefit perception, a moderate positive relationship with the perception of seriousness, and a low level negative relationship with the perception of obstacle and health service request postponement behavior. Health beliefs and attitudes regarding obesity affect healthcare demand postponement behavior through obesity awareness. It is recommended that studies be carried out to increase individuals' awareness of the importance of health regarding obesity and to determine their perception of obstacles.