The Impact of a Community-Based Health Programme on Health-Seeking Behaviour, Knowledge, and Health Outcomes in Rural Ghana

John K. Awoonor-Williams, Volta Regional Health Administration
Ellie Feinglass, Population Council
Rachel Tobey, Princeton University

As the first district in Ghana to replicate the Navrongo Experiment, Nkwanta has been a leader in establishing a programme of scaling-up known as the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative. Since 2002, Nkwanta has been involved in developing a CHPS impact assessment tool. The survey aimed to evaluate covariance of CHPS exposure and change in health-seeking behavior, knowledge, and outcomes. Sixty clusters were selected by probability proportionate to size, with enumeration areas acting as the unit of analysis. Results indicate that exposure to CHPS is associated with a significantly positive effect on family planning, safe motherhood, and immunization, controlling for relevant demographic variables. Experience has proven that mobilizing traditional social institutions provides a powerful basis for fostering behavioral change. However, exposure to the initiative has had no significant impact on HIV/AIDS knowledge. Future efforts will therefore focus on introducing an explicit HIV prevention component to the programme.