THE IMPACT OF HEALTH SECTOR LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES ON EDO STATE GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE EXPENDITURE

This study looked at how lifestyle intervention Programmes in the health sector affected healthcare spending in the Edo State Government. There were three (3) key goals and research questions for the study. The study used a descriptive survey research approach, in which information from the participants in the study was gathered through questionnaires. Two hundred and twenty (220) Medical Doctors, Pharmacists, Nurses, Dieticians, Clinical Psychologists, Dentists and Others were chosen at random from four (4) Local Government Areas in the Nigerian state of Edo. The mean, standard deviation, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to examine the data collected from the respondents. The study's findings showed that the respondents' opinions on lifestyle intervention Programmes in Edo State are favorable, particularly in terms of education, public awareness, and frequent health checkups. There are still certain areas that could use improvement, such as the availability of tools for stress reduction, weight management, physical activity programs, and smoking cessation. The results also paint a hazy image of the efficacy of lifestyle intervention Programmes in addressing risk factors in the Edo State healthcare system. The findings show that lifestyle intervention programmes in Edo State have shown promising results in reducing some aspects of healthcare costs, particularly related to NCDs, medical equipment, and over-tasking of healthcare facilities. However, there are areas where their impact might be limited, such as chronic disease prevalence and pharmaceutical costs. Therefore, it was advised that the government and interested parties in the health sector should reinforce and extend current lifestyle intervention Programmes. Government, health sector authorities and policy makers should focus on targeted areas where the programmes showed limited effectiveness, such as stress management and pharmaceutical costs, which should be targeted for improvement.