Citation:

Nitu Moni Sut, Prof. Basistha Chatterjee, Dr. Rantu Hazarika. "The Pattern of Healthcare Provider Choice and The Determinants of Healthcare Utilization: A Household Level Study on The Sonowal Kachari Tribe, Dibrugarh District, Assam" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 151-163, 2026. Crossref. http://doi.org/10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V5I2P119

Abstract:

This study analyses healthcare use patterns and determinants among the Sonowal Kachari tribe using primary data from Dibrugarh, Assam, home to the largest Sonowal Kachari population. The study supports Sustainable Development Goal 3, 'Good health and well-being.' It evaluates the alignment between households' preferences and their actual provider use, analysing the main factors in provider choice. Findings show preferences align with behavior. Private providers have a slight edge over the public. Education, income, insurance, morbidity, and accessibility are major factors in the decision to prefer private providers, while basic demographics matter less.

References:

[1] Adongo, P. B., & Asaarik, M. J. (2019). Health care seeking behaviour and utilisation of health services among rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 19, 1347. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7671-3
[2] Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
[3] Andersen, R. (1968). Behavioral model of families’ use of health services. Centre for Health Administration Studies, University of Chicago.
[4] Andersen, R.M. (1995). Revisiting the behavioural model and access to medical care: does it matter? Journal of Health Social Behaviour 36. 1-10
[5] Assam Rural Infrastructure and Agricultural Services Society. (2016). Tribal Development Plan (Draft). Government of Assam; The World Bank Assisted Citizen Centric Service Delivery Project. Retrieved from https://www.arias.in/download/Archive/Pub.2-Tribal%20Development%20Plan_Assam%20CCSD%20Project.pdf
[6] Asokan D, Gate N, Waghmare R, et al. (June 10, 2025). A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess the Healthcare-Seeking Behaviour of Tribal Communities in a District of Maharashtra. Cureus 17(6): e85687. doi:10.7759/cureus. 85687
[7] Boro, B. & Saikia, N. (2020). A Qualitative Study of the Barriers to Utilizing Healthcare Services among the Tribal Population in Assam. PLoS ONE, 15(10), https://doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240096
[8] Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
[9] Chutia, S. (2025). Health and hygiene behaviour of the Deoris of Assam. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 11(3), 45-52.
[10] Das, F. A., Barua, I., & Das, D. D. (2008). Ethno- Medicinal Practices: A Case Study among the Sonowal Kachari of Dibrugarh, Assam. Studies in Ethno-Medicine, 2(1)
[11] Das, U. & Mishra, U.S. (2020). Towards conceptualization of a household educational indicators: Incorporating Externalities. Social Indicators Research, 150,289-309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-020-02301-2
[12] Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs. (2016). Tribal development plan: Guidelines for preparation, implementation, and monitoring. Government of India.
[13] Gracey, M., & King, M. (2009). Indigenous health part 1: Determinants and disease patterns. The Lancet, 374(9683), 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60914-4
[14] Hazarika, G., & Saikia, J. P. (2018). Traditional Health Practices among Sonowal Kachari Women (A Sociological Study in Dibrugarh District of Assam). Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research, 5(12)
[15] Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. (2019). Expert committee on tribal health: Tribal health in India—Bridging the gap and a roadmap for the future. Government of India.
[16] Mozumdar, A., Das, B. M., Kundu Chowdhury, T., & Roy, S. K. (2024). Utilisation of public healthcare services by an indigenous group: A mixed- method study among Santals of West Bengal, India. Journal of Biosocial Science, 56(3), 518-541. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0021932024000051
[17] Mwabu, G., Ainsworth, M., & Nyamete, A. (1993). Quality of medical care and choice of medical treatment in Kenya: An empirical analysis. Journal of Human Resources, 28(4), 838–862. https://doi.org/10.2307/146291
[18] Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. (2011). Census of India 2011. Government of India. https://censusindia.gov.in/
[19] Penchansky, R., & Thomas, J. W. (1981). The concept of access: Definition and relationship to consumer satisfaction. Medical Care, 19(2), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.1097/00005650-198102000-00001
[20] Pohlmeier, W., & Ulrich, V. (1995). An econometric model of the two-part decision-making process in the demand for health care. Journal of Human Resources, 30(2), 339–361.
[21] https://doi.org/10.2307/146138
[22] Rosenstock, I. M. (1966). Why people use health services. The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly, 44(3), 94–127. https://doi.org/10.2307/3348967
[23] Sarmah, U., & Dutta, B. (2019). Health care seeking behaviour among the Tangsa women of Tinsukia district of Assam: A micro study. Oriental Anthropologist, 19(1), 64–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972558X19835382
[24] Sengupta, S. (Ed.). (2002). Tribal studies in North East India. Mittal Publications.
[25] Shabeer, K.P. & Rejuna, C.A. (2025). Access and utilization of healthcare among tribes in rural areas in Kerala, India: An Econometric Questionnaire Case Study. South Asian Journal of Social Studies and Economics, 22(3), 126-137 https://doi.org/10.9734/sajsse/2025/v22i51016
[26] Sharma, Y., Sridevi, P., Bhat, D., Surti, S.B., Sharma, J. K., Sudhakar, G., Ranjit, M.R., & Babu, B.V. (2025). Access to healthcare among the tribal population in India: A cross- sectional household survey. International Journal of Health-Planning and Management, 40(4), 863–870. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3924
[27] Taraphdar, P., Vasudeva, A., Sheikh, N. A., Bharti, A., Chanu, A. R., Yadav, S. L., & Sahu, S. (2022). Understanding health care seeking behavior in a tribal setting in West Bengal. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 11(4),14431449. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_1363_21
[28] Venkatramana, P. & Latheef, S.A.A. (2019). Health-seeking behaviour among tribes of India. Stud Tribe Tribals, 17(1-2), 1-7.10.31901/24566799.2018/17.1-2.413
[29] United Nations Development Programme. (2019). Human development report 2019: Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today—Inequalities in human development in the 21st century. UNDP.
[30] World Health Organization. (2014). Health of indigenous peoples: Fact sheet. World Health Organization. The pattern of healthcare provider choice and the determinants of healthcare Utilization: A household-level study on the Sonowal Kachari Tribe, Dibrugarh district, Assam.

Keywords:

Sonowal Kachari Tribe, Healthcare Utilization, Assam, Choice Of Healthcare Providers.