Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Access to Primary Healthcare has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, regulators, and practitioners concerned with health-seeking behaviour. This growing interest reflects the recognition that access to primary healthcare does not operate in isolation, but interacts with a wider set of institutional and market conditions found within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria.

Selected Public Universities in Nigeria presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

While access to primary healthcare is widely discussed in policy and industry circles, empirical evidence on its actual effect on health-seeking behaviour within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria remains sparse and, in places, contradictory. This lack of localized, rigorous evidence makes it difficult for decision-makers to know with confidence whether current approaches to access to primary healthcare are helping or hindering health-seeking behaviour — a gap this study sets out to close.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Access to Primary Healthcare on health-seeking behaviour in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which access to primary healthcare influences health-seeking behaviour within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with access to primary healthcare in relation to health-seeking behaviour.
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing access to primary healthcare in order to improve health-seeking behaviour.

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of access to primary healthcare on health-seeking behaviour in Selected Public Universities in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does access to primary healthcare influence health-seeking behaviour within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with access to primary healthcare in relation to health-seeking behaviour?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize access to primary healthcare in order to improve health-seeking behaviour?

1.5 Significance of the Study

Beyond its academic contribution to the field of public health, this study has practical value for management teams within Selected Public Universities in Nigeria seeking to understand how access to primary healthcare translates into measurable outcomes around health-seeking behaviour. It is equally useful to students and future researchers looking for a localized empirical reference on this relationship.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Access to Primary Healthcare and its relationship with health-seeking behaviour within the context of Selected Public Universities in Nigeria. It reflects a MSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.