back

Oluwakemi Augustus
University of Ibadan

 

     

Health Literacy and Instructional Strategies: A Study Among Adult Learners in Southwestern Nigeria (with Oladapo Augustus)

Health Literacy/education is central to primary health care in encouraging behaviour that promotes healthy living, prevents illnesses, cures diseases and facilitate rehabilitation. Thus, this study examined the effectiveness of three instructional strategies, drama method, audio-based instructional package and conventional teaching method in health education teaching/learning process by adult learners. The study employed a 3x2x2 quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test control group design. Three hundred and four (304) subjects were purposively selected from sixteen adult literacy centres in Oyo State , Nigeria . Data were collected to test the three hypotheses generated using two valid and reliable instrument viz Learnersí Achievement Test in Health Education (LATHED) and Learners Attitude Towards Health Education (LATHEQ). The study lasted two weeks and data obtained were analysed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) and Scheffe-post-hoc test. The results show that there was a significant main effect of treatment on learnersí achievement in health education (F(2,303) = 19.92; P < 0.05). Thus, learners taught with drama method made a significant gain in knowledge with the highest mean score of 81.304 followed by those taught with audio-based instructional package with a mean score of 78.057, while the conventional method contributed least with a mean score of 62.94. Also, there was a significant main effect of treatment on attitude towards Health Education (F(2,303) = 6,282; P < 0.05). However, there was no significant main effect of gender on learnerís achievement in health education (F(1,303) = 2.167; P > 0.05), as well as learnersí attitude towards health education (F(1,303) = 2.138; P > 0.05). The study results have important implications on health education, health education tutors, health care providers, professionals and the society at large.


Africa Conference 2005: African Health and Illness
Convened by Dr. Toyin Falola for the Center for African and African American Studies
Coordinated by Matthew Heaton Webmaster, Technical Coordinator: Sam Saverance