Access and Utilization of Health Care Services Among Residents of Selected Rural Communities in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria

Background: Access to healthcare continues to be difficult to achieve in the rural areas of Nigeria owing to poor infrastructural development, shortage of personnel, financial barriers, and isolation. The importance of understanding access and utilization trends cannot be underestimated.

Objective: This study investigated access to and utilization of healthcare services among people residing in Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria and factors affecting them.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was carried out in three rural communities through selection of 166 adult participants using multistage sampling technique. Data were collected via pre-tested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize frequencies and percentages, while Chi-square tests examined associations between variables at a significance level of p < 0.05.

 Results: Majority of the respondents (88.6%) reported access to healthcare facilities and 89.8% utilized them whenever ill. But only 63.9% demonstrated regular utilization. Government health centers constituted the highest proportion of visits (72.3%). The treatment of diseases was the most utilized service (73.5%) whereas preventive care was less utilized. The main obstacles to utilization were costs (46.4%), lack of health insurance (36.7%), long waiting hours (36.1%), and distances (41.0%). Family support (71.7%) and staff respectfulness (82.5%) were some of the facilitators to utilization.

Conclusion: The utilization of health care services was less than optimal and dependent on financial, structural, and socio-cultural variables. The underutilization of preventative services is an indication that there are inadequacies in the provision and delivery of health education and health care services. The government needs to ensure adequate provision and accessibility of health care facilities. Community-based health education by health workers is advised to encourage preventive healthcare use.