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Impact of Public Health Information Centres on Access to Health Information among Adults in Underserved Communities in Nigeria

Abstract

Access to reliable and understandable health information is an important component of disease prevention, health promotion, informed healthcare decision-making, and appropriate utilization of health services. Adults living in underserved communities in Nigeria may experience difficulties accessing accurate health information because of limited healthcare infrastructure, low health literacy, inadequate communication channels, geographical isolation, financial constraints, language barriers, and exposure to misinformation. Public health information centres can provide accessible community-based platforms where residents obtain information about disease prevention, available healthcare services, screening programmes, immunization, maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation, mental health, chronic disease prevention, and other public health concerns. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of public health information centres on access to health information among adults in underserved communities in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Literacy Framework, Social Ecological Model, and Diffusion of Innovations Theory. The Health Literacy Framework emphasizes individuals' ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply health information to make appropriate health decisions. The Social Ecological Model recognizes the influence of individual, interpersonal, community, institutional, and environmental factors on access to health information. Diffusion of Innovations Theory explains how health information, ideas, and practices spread through communication channels within a social system and how community-based information centres may facilitate the adoption and dissemination of reliable health messages. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how public health information centres may influence access to health information among adults in underserved communities 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 underserved communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, households, and eligible participants. Public health information centres will be assessed using indicators such as availability, accessibility, operating hours, frequency of information services, staffing, availability of trained health information personnel, range of health topics covered, information materials, use of local languages, printed and digital resources, opportunities for questions and clarification, referral information, community outreach activities, and frequency of updating health information. Access to health information will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of obtaining health information, ability to identify reliable sources, availability of information when needed, ease of obtaining information, understanding of health messages, access to information on preventive services, access to information on treatment and referral services, and use of health information in making healthcare decisions. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, health-information access assessment tools, centre attendance registers, information-request records, health education records, service directories, and relevant programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, use of information centres, sources of health information, and levels of information access. 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 impact of public health information centres on access to health information. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, access-to-information outcomes before and after establishment of the information centres may be compared with those of a comparison community to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that public health information centres have a significant positive impact on access to health information among adults in underserved communities in Nigeria. Adults who use public health information centres are expected to have greater access to accurate, relevant, timely, and understandable health information than adults without comparable access. The centres may provide convenient opportunities for residents to obtain information directly from trained personnel, ask questions, clarify misconceptions, and receive guidance on available healthcare services. Local-language materials, printed resources, visual aids, community health talks, and appropriate digital information platforms may further improve accessibility. Increased access to reliable information may strengthen residents' ability to recognize health risks, identify preventive services, make informed healthcare decisions, and navigate available health facilities. However, inadequate staffing, insufficient funding, limited information resources, irregular operating hours, low community awareness, language barriers, poor digital connectivity, and misinformation may reduce the effectiveness of information centres. The study therefore expects accessible, adequately staffed, regularly updated, and community-oriented public health information centres to contribute significantly to improved access to health information among adults in underserved Nigerian communities. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on public health information centres, health information access, health literacy, health communication, community health education, healthcare navigation, underserved populations, health promotion, 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, community health workers, health educators, community leaders, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving access to reliable health information. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for establishing and strengthening public health information centres, training health information personnel, developing multilingual information materials, improving digital and printed resources, regularly updating health information, promoting community awareness of information centres, and linking information services with available healthcare and referral programmes across underserved communities in Nigeria.

Keywords: Public health information centres, health information access, health literacy, health communication, underserved communities, adults, community health education, healthcare navigation, health promotion, Nigeria, public health.