Health-care access and utilization among rural households in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined healthcare access and utilization among rural households in Ogun state, Southwestern Nigeria. Primary data were collected through the use of structured questionnaires. Multistage sampling technique was employed for the selection of 200 rural households. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and health care accessibility index. The results show that the mean age of the respondents was 46 years with an average household size of 8 members. Majority of the respondents (43.5%) had no formal education and farming is the main occupation of respondents. Fifty-eight percent of the respondents have access to health care services while only 42.50% utilized these services. Most of the respondents (40.5%) travel a distance of 5-9 km before accessing health care facilities. Accessibility indices reveal unequal access to modern health facilities in the study area. Therefore this study recommends that rural development policies should promote the creation of enabling environment to enhance participation and equitable accessibility in modern health care delivery across the rural areas in the country. Key words: Healthcare, utilization, rural households, Nigeria.