Study of the Role of Performance in Community Health Education in Ogun State

Performance-based health education engages communities through emotional resonance and interactive storytelling, and its effectiveness in reaching communities with limited health literacy in South West Nigeria merits local documentation. This study examined the role of performance in community health education among rural communities in Sagamu and Ikenne Local Government Areas, Ogun State, South West Nigeria. A quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design was employed, comparing health knowledge scores among 200 community members who attended health performance sessions and 200 who received written flyer-based education. The performance sessions covered maternal health, sanitation, and childhood vaccination. Post-test scores were significantly higher for the performance group across all three health topics (p < 0.001). Community members with low formal education showed the greatest knowledge gains from performance-based education. Cultural integration of local Yoruba proverbs in performance scripts was cited by 82 percent of audience members as a key engagement factor. Performance groups were identified as more effective than conventional health talks by 78 percent of community health workers interviewed. Logistical challenges including transportation for performance groups and community mobilisation were identified as implementation barriers. The study concludes that performance significantly outperforms leaflet-based education for health communication in this low-literacy context. Recommendations include funding performance-based health education as a standard component of Ogun State PHC outreach, training community health workers in basic performance facilitation, and developing a sustainable performance group network for Ogun State health education. Keywords: performance, community health education, Ogun State, health communication, applied theatre