The Role of Health Education on Community Attitudes in the Acceptance of Family Planning Services among the O-kun Yoruba, Kogi State, Nigeria

Despite the much publicized efficacy of citizens or beneficiary participation in community-based programs, there have been several reported cases of abysmal failure in many health services in the developing nations. Recent literature on this subject has suggested the adoption of certain health education principles as intervening variables for their prospects in enhancing participatory health development. This study, therefore, aims at investigating the role of health education in the acceptance of family planning services among rural dwellers in some selected communities in O-kun Yoruba, Kogi State, Nigeria. Data for the study were generated mainly through multi-stage sampling technique, by the use of structured questionnaire administered to 225 (married) respondents randomly selected from 5 communities in Ijumu Local Government Area (LGA), in Kogi state, Nigeria. Methods of data analysis were mainly by the use of non-parametric statistics including simple frequency distributions, mean and cross tabulation techniques. Findings from the study revealed that in the acceptance of family planning services among the O-kun Yoruba in Kogi State, Nigeria, the role of health education as a potent intervening variable for participatory development in family planning cannot be over-stressed. Nevertheless, even at that, the findings revealed that the people for whom health programs are designed should not only be treated as rational beings but also should be involved in the critical stages of project formulation, planning, evaluation and decision making.