| The major purpose of this study was to conduct sample surveys of two Nigerian student populations in order to determine the attitudes and beliefs they hold toward the Nigerian Basic Health Services Scheme (BHSS). A secondary purpose involved a comparative analysis of the beliefs and attitudes of the medical and non-medical students toward the BHSS.;The guiding theory employed, comes from a body of research in communication known as the Diffusion of Innovation. This theory was originally propounded by Floyd Shoemaker.;The cluster sampling technique was used to select subjects for this study. Specifically, 712 Nigerian students served as respondents to the BHSS survey questionnaire. The study population involved two groups of students; the medical group comprising 5.17 percent (n = 369) and the non-medical group which made up 48.0 percent (n = 343) of the total sample.;Results of the study showed that the educational level of respondents is stongly related to the required health care for implementing the BHSS at the .01 level of significance. There were no significant relationships between either the religiosity or socio-economic status of respondents and the acceptance of health care (P > .05). There was a relationship between professional background and health care at the .01 level of significance.;The underlying assumption is that Nigerian students enrolled in American Universities and those enrolled in Nigerian medical schools constitute an important source of future influence and leadership in Nigerian society. Given the findings from this study, it should then be possible to develop a health education program which would enlist the support of these future leaders in the implementation of the BHSS.;The principal finding was that both medical and non-medical students favored the integration of Western-type medical practice with traditional medicine. Although both student groups indicated positive attitudes toward traditional medicine, the medical students were more conservative in their opinion.;Although both student groups indicated their general dissatisfaction with the current Western-type health care services in Nigeria, the medical students were more dissatisfied.;From the findings of this study it was recommended that the Federal Government of Nigeria needs to legislate health policy absorbing traditional healers into the officially accepted health care establishment. Also it was recommended that an interdisciplinary research team should conduct an epidemiological study of both rural and urban communities in Nigeria. In order to accomplish the implementation of the BHSS, the cooperation of educators, health professionals and other social scientists must be sought to promote and publicize the BHSS in Nigerian society. |
