Developing a Community Health Needs Assessment Framework for Local Government Health Authorities in North Central Nigeria

Health needs assessment is a foundational function of local government health authorities, yet most LGHAs in North Central Nigeria conduct needs assessments without standardised frameworks, resulting in poorly targeted resource allocation and health planning. This study developed a practical community health needs assessment framework for LGHAs in Benue, Kogi, and Kwara States. A participatory framework development methodology was employed, comprising situational analysis of existing LGHA health planning processes, stakeholder consultations, and expert validation. The situational analysis involved document review of health action plans and structured interviews with 24 LGHA health officers and three state ministry of health planning directors. Consultations using nominal group technique identified eight core domains that a contextually appropriate needs assessment framework must address: demographic profiling, disease burden mapping, health service access assessment, environmental health risk mapping, health behaviour and social determinants analysis, health equity assessment, community priority elicitation, and resource mapping. The framework incorporates simplified data collection tools adaptable to varying LGA research capacity, including community-based participatory appraisal guides, facility assessment checklists, and household health survey instruments. Delphi validation with twelve community health and health systems experts achieved consensus on all eight framework domains. The study recommends adoption of the framework by the North Central Zonal Office of the FMOH and its integration into the LGA health planning cycle supported by capacity-building training for LGHA health officers.

Keywords: health needs assessment, local government health authority, North Central Nigeria, health planning, community health framework