Community Involvement and Perceptions of the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Strategy for Improving Health Outcomes in Ghana: Quantitative Comparative Evidence from Two System Learning Districts of the CHPS+ Project

Background. )e Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative is Ghana’s flagship strategy for achieving
universal health coverage (UHC). Community involvement in and perceptions of CHPS capacity to improve health
outcomes of communities are examined. Methods. )is community-based descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 1008
adults aged 18 years and above in two System Learning Districts of the CHPS+ project. Data collected were analysed using
descriptive and inferential statistics. Results. )e level of community involvement in CHPS activities was 48.9% of the
population studied. )e overall level of positive perception of CHPS services was 51.7%. Community members who were
involved in identifying resources (AOR = 1.86 (95% CI = 1.17, 2.97), p = 0.009), organising durbars (AOR = 2.09 (95%
CI = 1.12, 3.88), p = 0.020), and preparing sites for outreach services (AOR = 3.76 (95% CI = 2.23, 6.34), p < 0.001) were
significantly more likely to have positive perceptions of the relevance of CHPS to improving the health status of communities
compared to those who were uninvolved. Conclusion. )e level of community involvement in CHPS services is low. Ghana
may not be able to attain the UHC goal by 2030 through CHPS implementation unless its level of community involvement is
markedly improved. Ghana’s health sector stakeholders should implement community engagement mechanisms that foster
improved worker outreach, expanded use of community gatherings, and more active participation of traditional leaders and
grassroots political representatives.