Utilization of Primary Healthcare Services and Incidence of Child Killer Disease in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the status of Primary Healthcare Services utilization in urban/rural localities in Akwa Ibom State, as well as the extent to which it mediates the incidence of child killer Disease in the area.  Three hundred and sixty (360) registered users of Primary Healthcare Services were drawn from twelve (12) Rural-Based and nine (9) Urban-Based Health Centres via a multi-stage random sampling. The Primary Healthcare Services Utilization Questionnaire (PUQ) was used to collect data on utilization of primary healthcare in the area, while the Daily/Weekly/Monthly Disease Reporting Chart was used to collect data on the incidence of Child Killer Disease. The mean utilization score/index was used to determine the status of primary healthcare utilization (good/poor) for each sampled locality, while the Least Squares Regression was employed to examine the effect Utilization of Primary Healthcare Service had on the incidence of child killer disease in the area. While findings confirmed a low level of Primary Healthcare Service utilization for 75% of the rural locations and a high level Primary Healthcare Service Utilization for 100% of the urban communities, Pneumonia, Malaria and Diarrhea were designated as the “top three” reported Child Killer Diseases, constituting 90% of the disease burden among children under five in the study area. Findings also confirmed a significant effect of Primary Healthcare Service Utilization on the incidence of Child Killer Disease, as 78.9% of occurrences of these Diseases were linked to non-utilization of Primary Healthcare Service. These findings reinforced the debate on the disparity in Primary Healthcare Service utilization and placed a demand on policy-makers and Healthcare planners to offer local incentives to mothers to encourage Primary Healthcare Service utilization as a proactive means of curbing the incidence of Child Killer Disease in Nigeria.