URBAN HEALTH EXTENSION SERVICES UTILIZATION AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS IN ARBAMINCH TOWN, SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA,

Abstract

Background: Ethiopia’s Urban Health Extension Program is an innovative government plan to ensure health equity by creating demand for essential health services through the provision of health information at a household level and access to services through referrals to health facilities. This study was also assessed those urban health extension services (UHES) components which were not addressed by the previous one. Objective: To assess the status (UHES) utilization and associated factors in Arbaminch Town, Southern Ethiopia, 2019. Methods and Materials: Community based cross sectional study design was conducted in Arbaminch Town Gamo Zone from March 1-30/2019.A total of 402 study subjects were included.. Bivariate and multivariable analysis ware carried out by using binary logistic regression. Significance was declared by using p value of <0.05 and AOR with 95% confidence intervals. Results: The response rate of this study was 98.25%. The proportion community utilization of UHES was 36.7% [95% CI (31.9, 41.5)]. Graduation of model family (AOR = 0.091, 95% CI = 0.016-0.526), knowledge of community on urban health extension service utilization (UHESU) (AOR = 0.0.189, 95% CI = 0.082-0.431), community heard about UHESU (AOR = 0.226, 95% CI = 0,112-0.454) and frequency of visit by urban health extension workers (AOR = 2.565, 95% CI = 1. 284-5.122) have statistically significant association with urban health services utilization. Conclusions and Recommendation: The proportion of community utilization of urban health extension service was low. Those concerned Zone Health departments, Town health sectors, Urban Health extension workers including health stake holders should perform on different awareness activities, model family graduation and conveying updated information for the community to utilize the UHEPs.