Healthcare Choices and Challenges among Female Inmates in Selected Correctional Facilities in Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined healthcare choices and challenges among female inmates in selected correctional facilities in Nigeria. This is with a view to examining the major healthcare challenges and choices available. The study employed the descriptive research method, the purposive sampling technique was employed in the selection of the correctional facilities, while the proportionate sampling technique was used to select the female respondents, and a 50% proportion was used. While descriptive analysis was used to analyse the primary data, such parameters as frequency, percentage, mean, and inferential (Pearson’s product moments correlation coefficients) were adopted in the analysis of the primary data. The study reveals that there is a positive and significant relationship between available healthcare and female inmates’ reproductive health, as well as a negative and insignificant relationship between major healthcare challenges and female inmates’ health. The study concludes that available healthcare and female inmates’ reproductive health move in the same direction, while major healthcare challenges and female inmates’ reproductive health move in the opposite direction. The study recommends that in order to improve the female inmate’s reproductive health, the available healthcare facilities require improvement, and the identified health challenges should be addressed as public health issues by the medical practitioners. It is also recommended that a large proportion of the health sector budget be directed towards providing qualitative health facilities in the correctional facilities across the nation in order to improve the standards of female inmates’ reproductive health status.