Note that the stick factor was not reported in [23].
Such a discrepancy might be attributable to high stick factor in our data.
New flocculation phenomena were described which affect to the sticking factor, and thus to the evolution of the EPD kinetics.
However, another stick factor for retention may be the limited options for employment elsewhere for the community health workers who are specifically trained to work at the PHC level.
Given that we collected data from rural communities, our analysis only considered push and stick factors.
Participants also emphasised how the actions of communities constitute stick factors in influencing the retention of rural PHC workers.
These stick factors improve job satisfaction and can motivate PHC workers to stay and work in rural communities in spite of the push factors related to irregular salary.
In this study, stick factors consist of reasons why health workers do not leave rural communities in spite of compelling push factors.
The stick factors overcome push factors such as irregular salary and lack of job satisfaction due to low uptake of services, lack of health facility infrastructure, social network, and accommodation.
Indeed, previous studies of the economics of staff motivation in other disciplines have shown that stick factors such as social support in the work environment can be more important than push factors such as low pay (46).
