The Use of Primary Healthcare Services by University Students in Marrakech–Safi Region, Morocco: Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: The health status of students affects their learning, quality of life and relationships during their academic and personal life. Access to and use of youth-friendly health services by young people is an important issue that should be taken into account by health authorities when providing services to this group. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to describe the use of primary healthcare (PHC) services by the student population in the Marrakech-Safi region. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among students enrolled at public universities in the Marrakech-Safi region, Morocco, during the academic year 2023-2024. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 605 participants. Studied variables included socio-demographic data, student knowledge and use of PHC services. RESULTS: Among the participants, 73.1% were female and the average age of the sample was 22.03 ± 4.7 years old. A proportion of 64.8% [95% confidence interval (60.8%, 68.6%)] of the respondents had used PHC facilities in the past 12 months, with an average of 2.1 ± 1.9 visits, 31% of them were from rural areas. The use of PHC facilities was significantly associated with monthly family income ( P = 0.014) and income-generating activity ( P = 0.033). CONCLUSION: Improving living conditions broadly, especially the socio-economic conditions of young students, may be a sustainable approach to remedy obstacles linked to access to care, and in particular the use of PHC facilities.