An Examination Of The Effect Of Community Health Education On The Behaviour Of People (Case Study Of Selected Rural Communities In Central Region Of Ghana)

An Examination Of The Effect Of Community Health Education On The Behaviour Of People (Case Study Of Selected Rural Communities In Central Region Of Ghana)

Chapter One

Preface

Background Of The Study

pastoral health enhancement is an important area of focus by the government of Ghana in the shot to reduce poverty. This is because ill health, malnutrition and a high birth rate are frequently reasons for poverty in homes. still, poverty itself is also a cause of ill health since shy fiscal coffers affect in poor access to health care, food, water, and sanitation, which are crucial inputs to good health( Klugman, 2002). According to Klugman( 2002), poor countries and poor people suffer from a multifariousness of losses that restate into high situations of ill health that far exceed the population normal. He adds that it isn’t only the lack of income that causes the high position of ill health, but the health installations serving them are substantially dilapidated, inapproachable, deficiently grazed with introductory drugs and run by inadequately trained staff. In view of this, health education, particularly preventative health education, is important.

In 1995, the government of Ghana( gog) developed the Vision 2020 strategy for poverty reduction with emphasis on profitable growth, integrated pastoral development, expansion of employment openings, and bettered access, especially by the pastoral and civic poor, to introductory public services similar as education, health care, water and sanitation, and family planning services( world bank, 2003). Within the same period,non-governmental organisations( ngos), maybe cognisant of these intentions, continued their conditioning with analogous objects. The most prominent among these were sanitation and health education. The health of Ghanaians is reported to have bettered since independence. The child mortality rate among Ghanaians has been reduced from 133 deaths per 1000 live births in 1957 to 57 deaths per 1000 live births in 1998. While under five, the mortality rate also dropped from 154 deaths per 1000 live births in 1957 to 110 deaths per 1000 live births in 1998( gss & macro transnational, 1999). The gdhs of 1988, 1993, 1998 and 2003 for five- time ages antedating the checks also indicated under- five mortality rates of 155, 119, 108 and 111 independently. A multiple index cluster check for 2006 by the gss showed under- 5 mortality of 111 per 1000 live births.

The ministry of health( moh), considering the rates of decline to be slow, has made several reforms in the health sector. These include a shift from substantially restorative care to preventative care, the development of the vision 2020 and the 5- time medium- term health strategy to guide health development in Ghana, the passage of act 525 in 1996 to establish the Ghana Health Service( GHS) as the enforcing body for public sector health services, and eventually, the establishment of the health insurance scheme, all aimed at perfecting health care in the country. presently, the main thing of the health sector is to make health care accessible, respectable, and affordable for all individualities living in the country.

In Ghana, the maturity of the poor are believed to be in the pastoral areas and are disadvantaged by the lack of knowledge about preventative health and early dogging of health care. thus, furnishing pastoral communities with access to health information and services has been the main perpetration strategy pursued by both governmental organisations and NGOs to achieve good health. A population data analysis report by the Ghana statistical service in 2005 reveals that the formal educational system remains the stylish means for perfecting access to information, broadening the midairs of people, preparing them for the life of work and furnishing the demanded tools for all who pass through the system to contribute to the socio- profitable development of the country. The report further reveals high ignorance rates in pastoral communities, estimated at55.6 percent compared to26.9 percent in civic areas. This is attributed to a small number of seminaries and an shy number of preceptors.

The 2000 population and casing tale of Ghana revealed that the central region, from which the study communities were named, has an ignorance position of42.8 percent, with further illiterate ladies than males. Also,33.9 percent of the population has noway been to academy. Informal education, thus, appears to be the main way in which mindfulness is created about colorful experimental issues. Fortunately, informal education can take place anywhere, unlike formal education, which tends to take place in special institutions like seminaries. therefore, the uninstructed population of the region still has a chance to get education on colorful issues, including health. In view of this, NGOs and government agencies have introduced some measures, including the use of geste change communication strategies through community health education( informal education) to help sickness and promote early applicable health seeking geste in communities.

The central region is classified as the fourth poorest in the country, known for its high malnutrition and child health problems, which are some pointers of health. By observation, sanitation is veritably poor in utmost communities. From the indigenous health directorate report in 2005, the severance rate was estimated at8.0 percent. Although this is much lower than the public normal of10.4 percent, it’s still considered high. The issue of child labour poses a problem in a number of sections in the region, as 5 percent of children lower than 15 times old are engaged in profitable conditioning. Another important factor that may lead to poor health care is poverty, which is believed to be predominant in the region due to the low inflows of the maturity of people whose main occupation is husbandry. Agriculture forms52.3 of profitable conditioning, followed by manufacturing at10.5.

The population and casing tale( 2000) estimated a population of and an periodic population growth rate of2.1 percent. The region is the alternate most densely peopled in the country( about 162 occupants per-square kilometres) and has an average ménage size of4.4, with62.5 percent of the population living in pastoral areas. The population is made up of52.3 percent ladies, and43.2 percent of children below the age of 15 times, considered as the most vulnerable group to health issues. With similar high population viscosity, the counteraccusations of shy health installations can’t be overlooked.

There are 220 health installations in the region, comprising 108 public, 82 private, 14 charge/ quasi and 16 community/ ngo conventions. utmost of these private institutions are located in the quarter centrals and other big municipalities. The distribution of health installations doesn’t favour the large pastoral maturity. It also includes functional community- grounded health planning and services( chps) composites in nearly all the sections. In all, there are 1,281 outreach points in the region, recording an increase of0.9 percent( 1,270) over that of 2004( indigenous health directorate report, 2005). There are four health training institutions in Winneba, Cape Coast, Ankaful, and Twifo Praso. The service provision assessment check( gym) by the gss in 2002 reported that there were only 104 croakers and 1427 nursers with a population to croaker rate of 15,3251 and a population to nanny rate of 11171 in the central region. still, the elderly operation report of the Ghana health service in August 2008 gave a worse population to croaker rate of 26,8881 and a population to nanny rate of 34181.

The 2003 Ghana demographic and health check( gdhs) indicates that child mortality and under- five mortality rates in the central region are 50 and 90 per 1000 live births independently. Although it’s an enhancement over 1998 and also places the region among the stylish in the country, it’s still high. A report from the central indigenous health directorate in 2005 showed a 44 percent prevalence of malaria compared to41.6 percent in 2004. The region also has an normal of only6.3 percent of conventions set up within its points and34.9 percent within 1- 5 km of reach, while1.78 percent of hospitals are set up within communities and16.2 percent within 1- 5 km( population and casing tale, 2000).

From the foregoing, it’s apparent that health issues are critical to mortal resource development and poverty reduction, particularly in the central region, for which reason, this study attempts to empirically determine how health education is suitable to impact preventative health geste .

Statement Of The Problem

It’s a known fact that the croaker – case rate is low and there are shy health installations. thus, if community health education is profitable, also policy makers can pay much further attention to that, with special emphasis on preventative health care, so that Ghana can achieve its health pretensions and that of the world at large. still, in malignancy of the operations of both NGOs( Plan Ghana, World Vision, Hunger Project, and Adventist Development and Relief Association( ADRA/ Ghana) and government agencies in the Central Region to reduce poverty, malnutrition, and ameliorate pastoral health through community health education or sensitization, pastoral health doesn’t feel to be perfecting. There doesn’t feel to be any empirical evidence that community health education is perfecting pastoral health or preventative health geste . Literature on the impact of community health education on health or preventative geste is meager or delicate to gain.

Talkie evidence of change is extremely important to justify the durability of community health education, particularly in pastoral communities. Indeed, assignments from similar studies would serve as input for revision in pastoral health creationstrategies.However, also the question that’s imperative is; is there any defense for continuing health education in view of the length of time taken and the large quantum of plutocrat needed to train staff, levies, If there’s minimum or no change in preventative health geste or pastoral health status.

What about remote communities?

OF THE STUDY ideal

The overall thing of the exploration is to

Determine the chance of the population of named devisee andnon-beneficiary communities with knowledge of the forestallment of malaria.

ii. Examine the significance of health education to communities.

iii. Identify factors, behind health education, that influence patronage of health care services in the devisee andnon-beneficiary communities.

Exploration Questions

The following exploration questions guide the ideal of the study

What’s the chance of the population of named devisee andnon-beneficiary communities with knowledge of the forestallment of malaria?

ii. What are the significance of community health education?

iii. What are the factors behind health education that impact patronage of health care services in the devisee andnon-beneficiary communities?

Significance Of The Study

This study will aim to probe the effect of community health education on the geste of people, using the pastoral communities in the central region of Ghana, despite the fact that it’ll be delicate to dissect due to its sensitive nature.

As a result, in addition to furnishing some sapience into the challenges at hand, the study will also act as a source of literature for unborn exploration. The study will be precious to the Ghana health department. The study would be of benefit to scholars and other experimenters willing to carry out exploration on analogous motifs.

Compass Of The Study

The exploration was conducted over a five- time period. It concentrated on three of the Central Region’s bank areas. sections in the west. pastoral communities with both NGO presence and Ghana Health Service health creation were chosen for comparison, while pastoral communities with only Ghana Health Service health education were used. The study included Simbrofo and Mprumem in the Gomoa West District, Etsibeedu and Egyankwa in the Mfantsiman District, and Breman and Eguafo in the KEEA District were all included in the study. The study concentrated on the most current affections that were generally reported in community designated health centers’ out- case departments, which had applicable and full records that could be anatomized.

Limitation Of Study

The study was limited due to the short time frame, budget and the incapability to cover all communities because of the selection system.

Description Of Terms

COMMUNITY A community is a social unit( a group of living effects) with congruity similar as morals, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may partake a sense of place positioned in a given geographical area(e.g. a country, vill, city, or neighbourhood) or in virtual space through communication platforms.

HEALTH EDUCATION Health education can be defined as the principle by which individualities and groups of people learn to bear in a manner conducive to the creation, conservation, or restoration of health.