PCA (Principal Component Analysis) Approach towards Identifying the Factors Determining the Medication Behavior of Indian Patients: An Empirical Study

Abstract

In order to achieve a healthy society, health care has received a greater importance these days. There are various factors such as gender, age, illness type, access to service, service quality that influences the health seeking attitude of people. For the treatment of patients an awareness of health seeking attitude is of prime importance. Health seeking attitude in respect to illness behavior defines such activities that are addressed by patients with regards to care services that are making community health programs a success or failure. There are various contexts in which we can see the factors that are determining the health behavior of patients. Factors such as social, physical, cultural, economic, and political. Thus, utilizing the system of health care it may be private or public, formal as well as informal, it might depend upon the demographic factors, educational level, social structure, gender discrimination, environmental condition, etc. This paper is about the association of factors that influence the health seeking behavior of the patient. A sample of 141 respondents was surveyed to know the factors that determine the Medication Behavior of patients. After analyzing the data through factor analysis the study concludes that different factors that determine the medication behavior of the Indian patient are Personal Factor, Social factor, Cultural Factor and Psychological factors.