Community Health Education in Rural Ghana: The Danfa Project—An Assessment of Accomplishments

The Danfa Comprehensive Rural Health and Family Planning Project was a joint effort of the Ghana Medical School, the Ministry of Health, UCLA, and USAID. A health education component was developed as an integral part of program inputs during the initial conceptual phase of the project. As a result n...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International quarterly of community health education 1981-07, Vol.2 (2), p.143-155
Main Authors: Ward, William B., Neumann, Alfred K., Pappoe, Matilda E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Community health
Education
Family planning
Health
Health behavior
Health education
Medical personnel
Medical schools
Multipurpose
Rural communities
Support services
Workers
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Summary:The Danfa Comprehensive Rural Health and Family Planning Project was a joint effort of the Ghana Medical School, the Ministry of Health, UCLA, and USAID. A health education component was developed as an integral part of program inputs during the initial conceptual phase of the project. As a result non-equivalent experimental and control areas were designated permitting an assessment of program impact during a five-year period (1972–1977) for which baseline and follow-up study data were available. A new cadre of community-based workers (Health Education Assistants) was developed from existing health personnel in the country, and trained in health education and multipurpose health work. Although the HEAs were found to have difficulty in bringing about changes in health practices when other support services were not available, they did have measurable impact on villagers' adoption of family planning methods and a number of specific health practices.
ISSN:0272-684X
2752-535X
1541-3519
2752-5368
DOI:10.2190/Q5L9-K74B-8UP6-MQMD