Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perception of Uptake of Preventive Healthcare Services among Health Workers and Rural Residents in Benue State, Nigeria

Abstract

Preventive healthcare services are a critical component, utilized to improve the health outcomes of population. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and perception of uptake of preventive healthcare services among health workers and rural residents in Benue State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design and a positivist research paradigm. The study adopted a multistage sampling technique from rural communities and primary healthcare centres in the state. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, from 411 respondents. The data obtained were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, and means were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results of the study showed that respondents demonstrated a relatively high level of awareness and good knowledge of preventive healthcare services, with counselling services, cholesterol testing, and routine vaccinations being the most recognized. The findings further revealed that respondents exhibited a generally positive attitude toward preventive healthcare services, as indicated by a cluster mean above the decision benchmark. However, despite this positive disposition, the uptake of preventive healthcare services was only moderately high. The study also established that knowledge and attitude had a weak but statistically significant positive relationship with the uptake of preventive healthcare services. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that health authorities and community health workers should intensify health education campaigns to bridge the gap between knowledge and actual utilization of preventive services. Continuous training programmes should be implemented to strengthen the capacity of health workers in promoting preventive practices, while community-based strategies involving local leaders should be adopted to improve perception and encourage consistent uptake of preventive healthcare services among rural populations.