{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,26]],"date-time":"2025-12-26T22:25:44Z","timestamp":1766787944099,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,29]],"date-time":"2021-08-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1630195200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Help-seeking behaviors (HSB) for mild symptoms vary because of differences in health care resources and patients\u2019 backgrounds. Potential HSBs for lay and professional care use are related to patients\u2019 health conditions. However, there is a lack of evidence of the relation between them. This study examined the relation between patients\u2019 potential HSBs and self-rated health (SRH). The cross-sectional study involved 169 patients, aged above 65 years, who visited a Japanese rural clinic. A validated checklist was used to assess potential patients\u2019 HSBs. A chi-square test and logistic regression were performed to examine the relation between patients\u2019 self-rated health and HSB regarding lay and professional care use. Participants were 77.5 years old, on average (SD = 8.3). Results reveal that having regular exercise habits (OR = 2.42, p = 0.04), adequate sleep (OR = 4.35, p = 0.006), work (OR = 2.59, p = 0.03), high socioeconomic status (OR = 6.67, p = 0.001), and using both lay and professional care (OR = 2.39, p = 0.046) were significantly correlated with high self-rated health. Living alone was negatively correlated with higher SRH (OR = 0.23, p = 0.015). To improve rural patients\u2019 health care, in addition to improving their health management skills, potential HSB for mild symptoms should be investigated and interventions that consider patients\u2019 socioeconomic factors and living conditions should be implemented.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph18179116","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,29]],"date-time":"2021-08-29T21:45:16Z","timestamp":1630273516000},"page":"9116","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":17,"title":["Potential Help-Seeking Behaviors Associated with Better Self-Rated Health among Rural Older Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2593-091X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ryuichi","family":"Ohta","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Community Care, Unnan City Hospital, Unnan 699-1221, Japan"},{"name":"Department of Primary Care and Medical Education, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mikiya","family":"Sato","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan"},{"name":"Health Services Center, Occupational Safety and Health Department, Human Resources Group, Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd., Tokyo 141-6025, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jun","family":"Kitayuguchi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Physical Education and Medicine Research Center Unnan, Unnan 699-1105, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Tetsuhiro","family":"Maeno","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8575, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9796-5161","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chiaki","family":"Sano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine Management, Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya cho, Izumo 693-8501, Japan"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Begashaw, B., Tessema, F., and Gesesew, H.A. 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