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Effect of Community Health Open Days on Utilization of Preventive Healthcare Services among Adults in Nigeria

Abstract

Utilization of preventive healthcare services is essential for reducing the burden of preventable diseases, promoting early detection of health conditions, and improving population health outcomes. Adults in Nigeria may underutilize preventive healthcare services because of limited awareness, misconceptions about preventive care, financial constraints, geographical barriers, competing work responsibilities, fear of diagnosis, and inadequate interaction with healthcare providers. Community health open days provide an opportunity for healthcare facilities and health professionals to bring preventive health information and selected services closer to community members through organized events involving health education, health counselling, screening, demonstrations, service explanations, and referral guidance. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of community health open days on utilization of preventive healthcare services among adults in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence adults' decisions to participate in preventive healthcare services. Andersen's Behavioral Model emphasizes predisposing characteristics, enabling resources, and healthcare needs as determinants of healthcare utilization. The Social Ecological Model recognizes the influence of individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and environmental factors on preventive healthcare participation. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how community health open days may influence utilization of preventive healthcare services among adults in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise adults aged 18 years and above residing in selected communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, healthcare facilities, and eligible participants. Community health open days will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of open-day activities, public notification, attendance, duration, availability of health education, preventive screening opportunities, counselling services, health demonstrations, referral information, healthcare-worker participation, community mobilization, availability of educational materials, and follow-up arrangements. Utilization of preventive healthcare services will be assessed using indicators such as attendance for blood pressure screening, blood glucose testing, cancer screening where appropriate, immunization, health counselling, family planning, infectious disease screening, routine health checks, lifestyle counselling, and other preventive services appropriate to the study population. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, preventive healthcare utilization assessment tools, open-day attendance registers, screening records, appointment records, referral registers, healthcare facility records, and relevant programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, exposure to open-day activities, and preventive healthcare utilization patterns. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of community health open days on utilization of preventive healthcare services. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, preventive healthcare utilization before and after implementation of community health open days may be compared with outcomes among a comparison community or facility catchment area. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that community health open days have a significant positive effect on utilization of preventive healthcare services among adults in Nigeria. Adults who participate in community health open-day activities are expected to demonstrate higher utilization of preventive healthcare services than adults without comparable exposure. Direct access to health professionals, on-site health education, screening opportunities, counselling, demonstrations, and information about available services may reduce informational and accessibility barriers to preventive care. Open-day activities may also provide opportunities for early identification of health risks and immediate referral for further assessment where necessary. However, low awareness of open-day activities, poor community mobilization, limited screening equipment, inadequate healthcare personnel, financial barriers to follow-up care, fear of diagnosis, privacy concerns, and weak referral systems may reduce their effectiveness. The study therefore expects regular, accessible, well-publicized, and community-oriented health open days to contribute significantly to improved utilization of preventive healthcare services among adults in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on community health open days, preventive healthcare utilization, health promotion, community engagement, health screening, health education, healthcare access, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, local government health authorities, primary healthcare centres, hospitals, community health workers, health educators, community leaders, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving preventive healthcare utilization. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for institutionalizing community health open days, strengthening community mobilization, integrating screening and health education activities, improving referral and follow-up systems, providing adequate personnel and equipment, and ensuring that preventive services identified during open-day activities remain accessible and affordable to adults across Nigeria.

Keywords: Community health open days, preventive healthcare services, healthcare utilization, health screening, health promotion, community engagement, health education, preventive care, primary healthcare, adults, Nigeria, public health.