Abstract

Physiotherapy has emerged as an absolutely necessary profession in the healthcare delivery system with the provision of services to improve the well-being of an individual. A good knowledge of the role of physiotherapy in health care delivery may influence its utilization by the public. This study therefore investigated the general public’s awareness of, belief about, attitude toward, and utilization of physiotherapy in Ibadan—a metropolitan city in Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey of 500 conveniently selected participants from the general public in selected areas in Ibadan-North Local Government Area. The participants completed a self-administered validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, percentages, and standard deviation. Participants (255 males, 245 females) were aged 36.66 ± 12.2 years. A large proportion—423(84.6%)—of the participants was aware of physiotherapy. In addition, 445 (89.0%) of the participants were familiar with Physiotherapy Services (PS). Most participants—288(64.7%)—reported the view that physiotherapists treat disorders affecting just bones and joints. Slightly less than half of the participants—210 (47.2%)—have or have relations that have suffered condition(s) treated by physiotherapists. Most of the participants—289 (64.9%)—shared the view that physiotherapy should be in all hospitals, while about half—218 (49%)—and over one-third—160 (36%)—reported physiotherapy to be always and sometimes effective respectively. The majority of respondents—398 (89.4%)—claimed they would recommend PS, and 341 (76.6%) stated that they would prefer PS to Indigenous Health Services (IHS). Ignorance 199 (42.5%) was the most frequently reported reason for preferring IHS to physiotherapy. A large proportion of the participants are aware of physiotherapy services. Positive belief about and attitude toward physiotherapy services were reported. Also, physiotherapy services utilization of participants was fairly high.