Perceived Eye Health-Seeking Behaviour of Residents of Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria

Abstract

Eye disease is a common global health problem that affects both young and old people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the utilisation of eye care services globally was 18% in 2014, while in Nigeria; the rate of utilisation was reported to be below 25% as against the set target of 90%. This study therefore was aimed at assessing the perceived eye health-seeking behaviour of the residents of Ido Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional method among 289 residents of three communities in the Ido Local Government area, Ibadan. A self-administered validated questionnaire was used for data collection. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics (frequency, means and standard deviation) and inferential statistics; chi-square test and correlation coefficient which was fixed at p<0.5 level of significance. The result revealed that less than half of the respondents 135 (46.7%) had eye screening in the past, 156 (54%) had eye problems in the past 82(52.6 %) visited hospitals to solve their eye problems and others were involved in self - medication, patronised traditional healers and use over the counter drugs. The chi-square test showed a statistically significant relationship between the age of the participants and their engagement in the eye screening test. In conclusion, less than half of the respondents had eye screening in the past, while a large proportion of those who had eye problems visited non-medical facilities to seek eye care services. This indicates inappropriate eye health-seeking behaviour of the majority of the respondents. In addition, their perceived health-seeking behaviour was influenced by their age. This study recommends that more public health education needs to be done to educate the community on appropriate personal eye care to ensure positive eye health-seeking behaviour.