HEALTH EDUCATION OFFICERS’ AWARENESS AND APPLICATION OF HEALTH PROMOTION STRATEGIES FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated health education officers’ awareness and application of health promotion strategies for community development in Anambra State. Four research questions and four hypotheses guided the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised all the 1,187 health education officers (Officers in Charge; OIC) in 1,187 (685 public-owned and 502 privately owned) health centres in Anambra State. The sample size of the study was 237 (137 public-owned and 100 private-owned; health education officers) drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Researcher-structured rating scales titled “Awareness of Health Promotion Strategies for Community Development Rating Scale (AWHPSCDRS) and Application of Health Promotion Strategies for Community Development Rating Scale (APHPSCDRS)” were used for data collection. The instrument was validated by three experts in the Faculty of Education, Nnamdi University, Awka. The data from the trial test were analyzed using Kuddar Richardson (K-R21) for AWHPSCDRS and Cronbach Alpha method for APHPSCDRS respectively. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, aggregate mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (chi-square, and independent t-test). The findings revealed that health education officers in Anambra State exhibit strong awareness and effective application of diverse health promotion strategies, notably policy advocacy and media campaigns as essential tools for advancing community development. The findings also revealed that public and private health education officers in Anambra State do not differ significantly in their awareness and application of health promotion strategies for community development. Based on the study findings, the study recommended among others that the Ministry of Health, non-governmental organizations, community leaders, and policymakers should provide continuous training, funding, and logistical support to sustain health education officers’ effective application of policy advocacy, media campaigns, community engagement, and service integration.