Community Acceptance and Willingness to Participate in Verbal and Social Autopsy (VASA) in Bauchi, Nigeria; A Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background:  Verbal  and  Social  Autopsy(VASA)  is a meticulously conceptualized framework  established  by  the  World Health Organization (WHO) to systematically  document and determine the  predominant causes of mortality within a given  community, particularly in low-  and middle-income Countries, where  the majority of deaths occur  outside of hospital settings.  This study aims to determine acceptance  and willingness to participate  in verbal and social autopsy in selected communities of Bauchi, Nigeria.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study  was conducted between June and December 2024 with  289 adult residents  of selected communities in the  Bauchi  Local Government Area (LGA) of Bauchi  State, Nigeria.  Participants were  enrolled using  multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed with SPSS (version 23).

Results:  A total of 289 participants were  interviewed. The  mean  age of the respondents was 39 and a standard  deviation of 9.6.  A significant proportion of the participants are married (78. 2%), the majority  are Hausa-speaking (34. 6%) and are males (64. 0%), business owners  (31. 5%) and have a tertiary level of education (56.4%). The  findings  indicated a high  proportion of poor knowledge (87.2% ), although 67.5% expressed willingness  to accept and participate in VASA. Logistic regression analysis showed  that age, sex, occupation, educational attainment and monthly income  serve as predictors of knowledge, while marital status, educational attainment, occupation and monthly income  are significant predictors  of willingness to accept and participate  in VASA.

Conclusion: This study explored community acceptance and participation  in verbal and social autopsy processes in selected communities within  Bauchi town.  Although  the study indicates a willingness to embrace VASA, a significant deficiency was observed in understanding VASA. The study underscores the need for targeted educational interventions to improve community understanding and acceptance  of verbal and social autopsy  processes in Bauchi,  as well as the need for continuous operational research  to explore  evolving community perceptions, assess the effectiveness  of current engagement strategies,  and identify  innovative approaches to improve participation in VASA.