Determinants of Rural Households ‘Health Status ፡ The Case Of Ambo Woreda, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Abstract

The study was conducted to identify determinants of health status among rural households in Ambo District West Shoa zone of Oromia. Based on the finding of the study and Ambo Health Office of 2023, health is unevenly distributed across socioeconomic status; particularly, differences in households income (households of lower income), education and occupational status were the key gaps among households of the study area. Both probability and non probability sampling methods were employed. To achieve the objectives of the studyprimary data was collected using semi-structed questionnaire through survey schedule. Both descriptive and econometrics analysis were employed. Multidimensional index generated based on principal components analysis was used. To determine the health status of the sampled households while Logistic regression was employed to identify determinants of health status. The results from the descriptive analysis indicated that about 58% of rural households of the study area were under critical health problem. On the other hand, econometric analysis was employed to examine determinants of health status. The Logistic regression result revealed that education of the household head, age of the household head, access to health center, health extension program and access to clean water and sanitation were significantly and positively related to household health status; while sex being female and number of family size had a significant negative influence on household health status. Based on the finding of the study recommended that expansion and intensification combination of interventions aim at enhancing different opportunity such as estabilishing a continuing education mechanism to ensure health status of the community and provision of awareness formation on the issue of family planning should also be emphasized in the study area.