Challenges Confronting Rural Dwellers in Accessing Health Information in Ghana: Shai Osudoku District in Perspective
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
2.1. Media for Health Information Dissemination in Africa
2.2. Challenges Confronting Rural Dwellers in Accessing Health Information in Africa
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Shai Osudoku District
3.2. Research Design
3.3. Sampling of Subjects
3.4. Data Collection Instruments and Analysis of Data
3.5. Ethical Consideration
4. Results and Discussions
4.1. Demographic Characteristics of Respondents
4.2. Health Information Seeking Behavior of Respondents
4.3. Challenges in Accessing Health Information
4.4. Preferred Format for Health Information Dissemination
5. Discussion of Results
5.1. Conclusions and Recommendations
5.2. Future Research
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A. Questionnaire
- SexMaleFemale
- Age group (Please check)18–3031–4041–50Over 50
- Marital status (Please check)MarriedSeparatedDivorcedNever marriedOther (please specify)
- Do you have children?Yes → How manyNo
- Highest level of education (Please check)Graduate educationSecondary educationPrimary educationInformal educationNo formal schoolingOther (please specify)
- What is your current employment status?Self-employedCivil servantUnemployedStudentOther (please specify)
- What other language(s) do you speak apart from your local dialect?AkanEnglishGaOther (please specify)
- 8.
- Do you value your health?YesNo
- 9.
- A person is considered to be health literate when:
Respondents view on health literacy SD D N A SA Going for regular check-ups Reducing drug abuse Taking proper medication Practicing family planning - 10.
- When would you say you are practicing a healthy living?
- 11.
- How would you rate your ability to look for health information to prevent you and your family from contracting unwanted diseases and illness? (Please circle one)
Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor 5 4 3 2 1 - 12.
- Have you used any of the following to obtain health information?
Sources of health information Yes No Do not Know Not Applicable Hospital/physician/nurses/public health Friends and families Radio/television Posters Bill boards Other (please specify) - 13.
- Which of the following sources are you most likely to contact first when you have any question about your health?Health brochureA family memberA healthcare providerA friendInternet
- 14.
- Have any of the following limited you from looking for or receiving health information? Please check (√)
Challenges of seeking health information Yes No Not Sure Not Applicable Language barrier Poor/unreliable information infrastructure Lack of electricity to recharge phone battery/or use television Geographical isolation/Location of village No access to mobile phone, TV, new technologies - 15.
- Please check (√) the response that best describes your perspective about challenges involving access to health information in regard to the following statements.
Challenges in accessing health information Always Often Sometimes Occasionally Never I need hospital reading materials. I have problems learning about my medical conditions. I have difficulty understanding written information from a doctor. I have difficulty taking the right dosage of my medication(s).
- 16.
- In which format would you prefer the information?VideosBooksPamphletsAudiocassetteMagazinesNewspapersComputers and CDsCell phone voice and text communication
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Communities sampled for the study | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|
Kodiabe | 15 | 7% |
Ayikuma | 15 | 7% |
Doryumu | 15 | 7% |
Ayenya | 16 | 8% |
Agomeda | 17 | 8.2% |
Dodowa | 130 | 63% |
Total | 208 | 100.000 |
Level of education of respondents | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|
Graduate education | 65 | 31.3 |
Secondary education | 76 | 36.5 |
Primary education | 28 | 13.5 |
Informal education | 23 | 11.1 |
No formal schooling | 16 | 7.7 |
Total | 208 | 100.0 |
How well are respondents able to search health information | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|
Poor | 14 | 6.8 |
Fair | 30 | 14.6 |
Good | 68 | 33.0 |
Very Good | 61 | 29.6 |
Excellent | 33 | 16.0 |
Total | 208 | 100.0 |
Channels for health information seeking | Responses | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|---|
hospital/physician/nurses/public health (n = 208) | Yes | 188 | 90.4 |
No | 19 | 9.1 | |
Don’t know | 1 | 0.5 | |
friends and families (n = 207) | Yes | 179 | 86.5 |
No | 27 | 13.0 | |
Don’t know | 1 | 0.5 | |
radio/television (n = 205) | Yes | 193 | 94.1 |
No | 10 | 4.9 | |
Don’t know | 2 | 1.0 | |
Posters (n = 207) | Yes | 100 | 48.3 |
No | 94 | 45.4 | |
Don’t know | 9 | 4.3 | |
Not applicable | 4 | 1.9 | |
Bill boards (n = 207) | Yes | 114 | 55.1 |
No | 80 | 38.6 | |
Don’t know | 9 | 4.3 | |
Not applicable | 4 | 1.9 |
Sources of health information for respondents | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|
Health brochure | 15 | 7.2 |
A family member | 77 | 37.0 |
A healthcare provider | 75 | 36.1 |
A friend | 8 | 3.8 |
Internet | 33 | 15.9 |
Total | 208 | 100.0 |
Questions | Responses | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|---|
Language barrier (n = 208) | Always | 51 | 24.5 |
Often | 22 | 10.6 | |
Sometimes | 83 | 39.9 | |
Occasionally | 29 | 13.9 | |
Never | 23 | 11.1 | |
Poor/unreliable information infrastructure (n = 207) | Always | 42 | 20.2 |
Often | 25 | 12.0 | |
Sometimes | 97 | 46.6 | |
Occasionally | 27 | 13.0 | |
Never | 16 | 7.7 | |
No access to mobile phone, TV, new technologies (n = 208) | Always | 80 | 38.5 |
Often | 23 | 11.1 | |
Sometimes | 59 | 28.4 | |
Occasionally | 24 | 11.5 | |
Never | 22 | 10.6 | |
Geographical isolation/Location of village n = 208) | Always | 38 | 18.3 |
Often | 27 | 13.0 | |
Sometimes | 72 | 34.6 | |
Occasionally | 32 | 15.4 | |
Never | 39 | 18.8 |
Choice of Health Information | Highest Level of Education | Total | p-Value | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Graduate Education | Secondary Education | Primary Education | Informal Education | No Formal Schooling | ||||
Cell phones | yes | 31 | 40 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 105 | 0.943 |
no | 34 | 36 | 13 | 11 | 9 | 103 | ||
Television/Radio | yes | 41 | 59 | 26 | 22 | 15 | 163 | 0.001 |
no | 24 | 17 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 45 | ||
Internet | yes | 49 | 40 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 103 | 0.000 |
no | 16 | 36 | 22 | 17 | 14 | 105 | ||
Contact family member/relative | yes | 7 | 10 | 18 | 46 | 52 | 132 | 0.001 |
no | 28 | 24 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 76 |
Question | Responses | Frequency | Percent |
---|---|---|---|
would you prefer video as a format for seeking health information | yes | 168 | 80.8 |
no | 20 | 9.6 | |
would you prefer books as a format for seeking health information | yes | 69 | 33.2 |
no | 119 | 57.2 | |
would you prefer pamphlets as a format for seeking health information | yes | 42 | 20.2 |
no | 146 | 70.2 | |
would you prefer audiocassette as a seeking format for health information | yes | 98 | 47.1 |
no | 90 | 43.3 | |
would you prefer magazines as a format seeking for health information | yes | 47 | 22.6 |
no | 139 | 66.8 | |
would you prefer newspapers as a format for seeking health information | yes | 65 | 31.3 |
no | 123 | 59.1 | |
would you prefer computer and CDs as a format for seeking health information | yes | 47 | 22.6 |
no | 141 | 67.8 | |
would you prefer cell phone voice and text communication as a format for seeking health information | yes | 112 | 53.8 |
no | 76 | 36.5 |
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Share and Cite
Sokey, P.P.; Adisah-Atta, I. Challenges Confronting Rural Dwellers in Accessing Health Information in Ghana: Shai Osudoku District in Perspective. Soc. Sci. 2017, 6, 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6020066
Sokey PP, Adisah-Atta I. Challenges Confronting Rural Dwellers in Accessing Health Information in Ghana: Shai Osudoku District in Perspective. Social Sciences. 2017; 6(2):66. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6020066
Chicago/Turabian StyleSokey, Philippa Pascalina, and Isaac Adisah-Atta. 2017. "Challenges Confronting Rural Dwellers in Accessing Health Information in Ghana: Shai Osudoku District in Perspective" Social Sciences 6, no. 2: 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6020066
APA StyleSokey, P. P., & Adisah-Atta, I. (2017). Challenges Confronting Rural Dwellers in Accessing Health Information in Ghana: Shai Osudoku District in Perspective. Social Sciences, 6(2), 66. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci6020066