Utilization of Rehabilitation Service and Its Associated Factors among People with Disabilities in Jimma Town, Southwest Oromia Region, Ethiopia, 2023

Abstract

Introduction Rehabilitation is one of the crucial elements of the healthcare system that optimizes body function and improves the quality of life for people with different types of disabilities. Despite its paramount benefit, utilization of rehabilitation services is challenging in low-income countries like Ethiopia. As there was a lack of studies, the utilization of rehabilitation services and its associated factors among people with disabilities remained unknown. Therefore, the findings of this study are intended to clearly state utilization of rehabilitation services and its associated factors among people with disabilities. Objective: To determine the magnitude of utilization of rehabilitation service and its associated factors among people with disabilities in Jimma Town, Southwestern Oromia Region, Ethiopia, 2023. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June 2023. A total of 407 study participants were included using a simple random sampling technique. A pretested and interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered into Epi Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Bivariable logistic regression analysis was employed with a p-value less than 0.25. Finally, those variables having a p-value less than 0.05 with a 95% CI in multivariable analysis were considered as statistically significant. Result: The overall utilization of rehabilitation services was 28.3% (95% CI: 23.9–32.9). Secondary education (AOR=2.205, 95%CI: 1.207–4.028), high income (AOR=2.042, 95%CI: 1.131–3.687), having awareness (AOR=3.846, 95%CI: 2.263–6.538), having caregiver support (AOR=3.389, 95%CI: 1.116–10.290), and a severe degree of disability (AOR=3.737, 95%CI: 1.195–11.689) were significantly associated with utilization of rehabilitation services. Conclusion and recommendation: In this study, nearly one-third of study participants utilized rehabilitation services. Factors significantly associated with utilization included secondary education, high income status, a severe degree of disability, awareness, and caregiver support. All concerned bodies should pay attention, especially to creating awareness and easing the economic barriers faced by people with disabilities in utilizing rehabilitation services