Community satisfaction with the urban health extension service in South Ethiopia and associated factors

BACKGROUND: The urban health extension program (UHEP) is an innovative government plan to ensure health equity by creating demand for essential health services through the provision of appropriate health information at a household level. It aims to improve the overall health of a community through active participation and utilization of services, which depends on satisfaction and acceptance of the program. However, there is no study on community satisfaction with the services provided by the UHEP in Ethiopia. This study was aimed to assess the level of community satisfaction with the UHEP in Hadiya Zone, South Ethiopia, and the associated factors with it. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study, using quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 407 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multiple regression analyses were performed. P-value less than 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine an association between independent and dependent variables. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions with village health committee members and model families in Hadiya Zone. RESULTS: The majority (67.4%) of respondents were satisfied with the services provided by the UHEP. The communities’ perceptions of technical competency (ß = 0.425; 95% CIs 0.084, 0.34), interpersonal relationships (ß = 0.506; 95% CIs 0.216, 0.797), and perceived accessibility of services (ß = 0.752; 95% CIs 0.064, 0.86) were independent predictors of satisfaction (P < 0.05). In addition, the marital status, knowledge, and attitudes of the respondents were associated with community satisfaction. CONCLUSION: A community’s satisfaction with UHEP has supposed to have a significant influence on the community’s utilization of the services and implementation of the program. The present study have clearly shown that majority of the respondents were satisfied with the services provided by urban health extension program.