Abstract:
With new protocols implemented and strict community quarantines put in place, people’s
lives were affected and changed during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease. As such,
COVID-19 impacted their actions and inactions at the height of the pandemic in terms of their
health behavior and health-seeking behavior. Hence, the study aimed to identify people’s health
behavior and health-seeking behavior and to determine the social factors that affect these
behaviors in the context of residents in Angono, Rizal in the Philippines. The findings of this
exploratory research were gathered through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with study
participants fitting the criteria. The research instrument was solely created by the researchers and
was based on the research questions of this study. Results show that the pandemic led to positive
and negative changes in residents’ health behavior. Health and safety were residents' top
priorities in decision-making during that time. Results also show that the practice of
self-medicating was very evident among residents in treating their illnesses or symptoms. Also,
residents’ health-seeking behavior is formed due to the dimensions of access to health services,
the necessity to go outside of their homes, and the strict implementation of quarantine protocols
that serve as the significant social factors present in the rural community of Angono.
