Given differences in the way that people 'construct' the concept of health and view their health status, one might reasonably anticipate some variation in health behaviour. Evidence exists to suggest that health behaviour and response in seeking care is related to distance and severity of illness, as well as individual information and understanding of the problem. However, in general, the nature of health seeking behaviour among rural Australians and the influences underpinning it are not well understood, particularly those which reduce the dependency of people on curative care and which encourage them to take greater responsibility for ensuring that problems of ill health do not arise. Hopefully, the findings from this study will increase an understanding of these issues, and, in turn, form the basis for planning how best to deliver appropriate and effective health services and health information to meet the needs of families living in different rural and remote circumstances. Methods Consistent with the requirements of the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund, families form the focus of this study.
Families participating in the research include both 'traditional' and 'blended'.
The key selection criteria relate to the age range of the children, with a preference for families which included pre school and primary school age children and families with children in early adolescence. A purposive sampling strategy was adopted as the basis for selecting participants. Almost 120 families in four contrasting rural communities participated in the project. Families were selected from rural locations which vary according to the local availability of, and distance to, a differing range of health services. The remote communities of Culgoa and Ultima, each with around 200 residents, typified locations lacking primary care services.