ABSTRACT

The attainment of good health and well-being emphasized in Sustainable Development Goal three is very crucial. This study assessed rural women’s health problems in Surulere Local Government Area (LGA) of Oyo State, Nigeria. Structured interview schedules were used to collect information from 120 respondents, drawn using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Data obtained were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that majority (75.8%) of the sampled respondents were married with a mean age, household size, and years of formal education 36.8±10.7 years, 5±1.45, and 10.6±3.1 years respectively. More than half (58.3%) of the respondents belonged to social organizations while 77.5% sourced for capital through loans. Most of the respondents engaged in multiple livelihood activities which include food vendoring and frying of garri among others.  The most critical health challenge faced by the respondents was cough and catarrh with a weighted mean score of 1.24, followed by headache (1.08). The nature of the respondents’ work was identified as the major cause of health problems (wms=4.10) while environmental sanitation (wms=2.05) was identified as the most important preventive measure used by the respondents. Test of hypothesis showed significant relationships between age, household size, years of education, and perceived causes of health problems.  Therefore, the study recommended that government should provide adequate health care facilities in rural areas while rural women should be adequately educated on the importance of prompt visits to health care centres to address their health challenges.