Sociodemographic Profile of Lady Health Workers and Its Association with Barriers in Basic Service Delivery in Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: To explore barriers faced by lady health workers in basic service delivery and their association with various socio-demographic attributes of lady health workers and service delivery.

Study Design: Cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Taluka Hala District Matiari, Sindh province of Pakistan for the period 1^st June 2022 to 30^th November 2022.

Methods: Data was collected on 231 Lady Health Workers (LHWs) of age 21 to 56 years working in field for at least one year in Taluka Hala District Matiari, Sindh province of Pakistan; the reported barriers were analyzed in the service delivery perspectives by applying chi-square test.

Results: Mean age of LHWs was 40.51±5.51 years; the average educational level was matric (66.23%), 94.80% participants belonged to rural localities and 64.50% belonged to lower-middle socio-economic class. The statistically significant association was seen between level of education and the basic service delivery (p=0.05).  The barriers in imparting basic health services were reported by 91.78% of study subjects showing significant association (p=0.04). 

Conclusion: The study provides a research based evidence regarding unexplored attributes of LHWs on their routine service delivery work due to barriers related to their socio-demographic diversity.