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Effect of Community Health Information Sessions on Awareness of Available Primary Healthcare Services in Rural Nigeria

Abstract

Awareness of available primary healthcare services is an important factor influencing timely and appropriate healthcare utilization, particularly in rural communities where access to health information may be limited. Rural residents in Nigeria may have inadequate knowledge of the services provided through primary healthcare facilities, including immunization, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, child health services, disease screening, health education, treatment of common illnesses, chronic disease management, and referral services. Limited awareness may contribute to delayed healthcare seeking, underutilization of available services, and missed opportunities for preventive and early intervention. Community health information sessions provide an opportunity to deliver structured and accessible information directly to residents within their communities. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of community health information sessions on awareness of available primary healthcare services in rural Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Literacy Framework, Health Belief Model, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Literacy Framework emphasizes individuals' ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply health information when making decisions about available healthcare services. The Health Belief Model explains how perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence residents' awareness and willingness to utilize primary healthcare services. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, family, community, healthcare-system, and environmental factors on health information access and healthcare utilization. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how community health information sessions may influence awareness of available primary healthcare services among rural residents 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 rural communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, rural communities, households, and eligible participants. Community health information sessions will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of sessions, duration, attendance, topics covered, use of trained health educators or community health workers, language of presentation, use of visual materials, opportunities for questions and discussion, community mobilization, clarity and relevance of information, and linkage with nearby primary healthcare facilities. Awareness of available primary healthcare services will be assessed using indicators such as knowledge of immunization services, antenatal and postnatal care, family planning, child health services, health screening, treatment of common illnesses, chronic disease services, health education, maternal and newborn services, referral services, operating times, and appropriate points of access within the primary healthcare system. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, health-service awareness assessment tools, community health session attendance registers, observation checklists, health education materials, and relevant primary healthcare programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, exposure to community information sessions, and awareness scores. 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 information sessions on awareness of available primary healthcare services. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, awareness scores before and after the information sessions 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 community health information sessions have a significant positive effect on awareness of available primary healthcare services among rural residents in Nigeria. Residents exposed to structured community health information sessions are expected to demonstrate greater knowledge of the range of services available at nearby primary healthcare facilities than residents without comparable exposure. Repeated community education may improve understanding of preventive, maternal, child, diagnostic, treatment, and referral services while correcting misconceptions about primary healthcare facilities. The use of local languages, simple explanations, visual materials, practical examples, and interactive discussions may improve comprehension among residents with different literacy levels. Improved awareness may encourage residents to seek care earlier and utilize appropriate primary healthcare services when needed. However, low literacy, language differences, cultural beliefs, limited attendance, inadequate health educators, poor community mobilization, and inconsistent delivery of information sessions may reduce programme effectiveness. The study therefore expects regular, accessible, culturally appropriate, and community-participatory health information sessions to contribute significantly to improved awareness of available primary healthcare services in rural Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on community health education, primary healthcare awareness, health literacy, healthcare utilization, rural health, health promotion, community participation, 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 awareness and utilization of primary healthcare services in underserved communities. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening community health information programmes, improving the use of local languages and culturally appropriate communication approaches, engaging community leaders and health workers, strengthening links between community education and primary healthcare facilities, and expanding regular health information sessions across rural Nigeria.

Keywords: Community health information sessions, primary healthcare services, health awareness, rural residents, health literacy, community health education, healthcare utilization, health promotion, primary healthcare, Nigeria, public health.