Assessment of Accessibility and Utilization of School Health Services Among Staff of North-Eastern Colleges of Education, Nigeria

Abstract

School health services are services provided through the school system to improve the health and well-being of staff as well as school students and families of the nearest broader community. Thus, the purpose of this study is to assess the access influencing utilization of school health services among academic staff and students of some colleges of education in Northeast Nigeria. Ex-post factor research designed used for this study. The population of the study were 1,808 staff and 17,395 students of selected Colleges of Education in North- eastern, Nigeria. The sample of the study were selected using multistage sampling procedure. The instrument for the study was a 4 Likert scale questionnaire. Frequency and percentage was used to test the formulated objectives and research while one sample t-test was used to anaylzed the postulated hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. From the findings of the study, the study shows that availability of medical services, health counselling services and health-equipment are major significant determinants influencing utilization of school health services among among staff and students of college of Education students in Northeastern Nigeria. Their provision and adequacy constituted significant influence to effective utilization of school health services in colleges of education. It is recommended among others that, Stakeholders should ensure that professional health teachers and related health personnel were recruited into colleges of Education in Northeastern Nigeria towards effective provision of health counselling and the state and other stakeholders of colleges of education in northeastern Nigeria should improve on the provision of health-related equipment to encourage effective utilization of health services by staff and students in the colleges.

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