Running Head Health Seeking Behavior And Access To Health.health Seeking Behavior And Access To Health Care Of Street Involved Children The Case Of Ambo Town Central Ethiopia

Street involved children underutilize health services worldwide despite their miserable health conditions and their frequent illness. Why health services do not reach the children and how they respond to illnesses, as a result, are critical research areas. Describing health risks to selected street involved children in Ambo town, this study explored their health seeking behavior and access to health care. The study was undertaken in the first half of the year 2017, and 33 children who aged 10 to 18 years participated in interview and focus group discussions. They were selected through no-random snow ball sampling technique. Key informant interview and observation were also employed in this qualitative study. Findings indicated that the children rarely visited health facilities despite their frequent illnesses and access entitlements. Constrained by cost of payable health services and violation of their entitlements to wavier service, the children widely used sleeping off illnesses, medicine from pharmacies and traditional treatments when they got sick. Sensitivity towards the health plights of the children and commitment to realize their recognized health care entitlements are required to improve their health conditions. Keywords- Street involved children, health seeking behavior, access to health care

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