Factors influencing motivation of voluntary community health workers implementing the community health strategy: a case of Mbeere South District, Kenya

Abstract

The Kenya demographic and health survey of 2003 and 2008 revealed declining trends in the public health and sanitation developed the Kenya Essential Package for Health (KEPH), a life cycle based approach aimed at reversing these trends. The community health strategy is the mechanism through which KEPH is implemented at level I, the community. This study was aimed at investigating the factors influencing the motivation of Voluntary community health workers implementing the community health strategy in Mbeere South district, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to determine the influence of physical incentives on motivation of CHWs, to establish how training influences motivation of CHWs, to explore how supportive supervision influences motivation of CHWs, and to determine the influence of community support and expectation on the motivation ofCHWs implementing the CHS. To achieve this, a descriptive survey was carried out in the thirteen community units in Mbeere South district. The target population was 650 CHWs. A 10% sample was drawn from this sampling frame giving a sample size of 65 respondents. Data was collected using questionnaires. Analysis was done using SPSS and findings presented using frequency tables. The main findings of the study were that initial and continuous training, support supervision and community support have the greatest influence on the motivation of CHWs. Paying CHWs and providing them the information, skills and environment they require greatly influences their motivation. It also established that physical incentives do not have great influence on the motivation of CHWs. It is recommended that the government should allocate more resources towards Coinmunity health strategy to cater for the initial and lifelong trainings for CHWs. The community health extension workers should regularly spend quality time with the CHWs and they should be provided with logistics for this activity. The community should be sensitized on their role in supporting this voluntary workforce.