Determinants of Job Satisfaction Among Health Workers in Deprived Districts of Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study

Determinants of Job Satisfaction Among Health Workers in Deprived Districts of Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Determinants of Job Satisfaction Among Health Workers in Deprived Districts of Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study Kojo Mensah Sedzro, Leonard Baatiema, Kassim Basit, William Akatoti, and 4 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9043609/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Job satisfaction among health workers is critical for improving healthcare delivery and staff retention. This study investigated employment-related determinants of job satisfaction among health workers in three deprived districts of Ghana. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 200 public-sector health workers in Kwahu Afram Plains North, Kwahu Afram Plains South, and Kwahu East. A structured questionnaire captured socio-demographic characteristics, employment variables, and satisfaction across domains including teamwork, rewards, communication, and working conditions. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests assessed group differences. Ordered logistic regression identified predictors of two outcomes: willingness to recommend the facility as a workplace and overall career satisfaction at the facility. Results: Participants were predominantly female (67.5%) and on permanent contracts (98.5%); median age was 32 years. District, age group, and contract type showed significant differences in satisfaction. Compared with Afram Plains North, working in Kwahu East was associated with higher career satisfaction (AOR = 2.70; 95% CI: 1.14–6.41). Older age strongly predicted career satisfaction: workers ≥40 years had higher odds than those aged 20–29 (AOR = 13.56; 95% CI: 3.71–49.56). Permanent employment was associated with lower satisfaction relative to temporary contracts (career satisfaction AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.44). Satisfaction with rewards (AOR = 4.35; 95% CI: 2.23–8.50) and communication (facility recommendation AOR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.23–3.19) were pivotal positive determinants. Sex and marital status were not significantly associated with satisfaction. Conclusions: In Ghana's deprived districts, comprehensive reward systems and effective workplace communication are central to improving job satisfaction and retention. The inverse association between permanent contracts and satisfaction suggests a need to review employment terms and career development pathways for rural posts. Tailored, context-specific interventions addressing rewards, communication, and progression opportunities may enhance morale and support sustained service delivery in underserved areas. Keywords: Job satisfaction; Health workers; Ghana; Rural health; Retention; Deprived districts; Ordered logistic regression Job satisfaction Health workers Ghana Rural health Retention Deprived districts Ordered logistic regression Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers invited by journal 16 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 05 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 05 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 05 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9043609","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":607034077,"identity":"954e37c7-5453-4f0b-a0e4-ed6df4778b30","order_by":0,"name":"Kojo Mensah Sedzro","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Ghana","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kojo","middleName":"Mensah","lastName":"Sedzro","suffix":""},{"id":607034078,"identity":"d0cbb65b-3eda-44e5-b02d-afd9e652607d","order_by":1,"name":"Leonard Baatiema","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of 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This study investigated employment-related determinants of job satisfaction among health workers in three deprived districts of Ghana.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMethods: \u003c/strong\u003eWe conducted a cross-sectional survey of 200 public-sector health workers in Kwahu Afram Plains North, Kwahu Afram Plains South, and Kwahu East. A structured questionnaire captured socio-demographic characteristics, employment variables, and satisfaction across domains including teamwork, rewards, communication, and working conditions. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests assessed group differences. Ordered logistic regression identified predictors of two outcomes: willingness to recommend the facility as a workplace and overall career satisfaction at the facility.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResults:\u003c/strong\u003e Participants were predominantly female (67.5%) and on permanent contracts (98.5%); median age was 32 years. District, age group, and contract type showed significant differences in satisfaction. Compared with Afram Plains North, working in Kwahu East was associated with higher career satisfaction (AOR = 2.70; 95% CI: 1.14–6.41). Older age strongly predicted career satisfaction: workers ≥40 years had higher odds than those aged 20–29 (AOR = 13.56; 95% CI: 3.71–49.56). Permanent employment was associated with lower satisfaction relative to temporary contracts (career satisfaction AOR = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01–0.44). Satisfaction with rewards (AOR = 4.35; 95% CI: 2.23–8.50) and communication (facility recommendation AOR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.23–3.19) were pivotal positive determinants. Sex and marital status were not significantly associated with satisfaction.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConclusions:\u003c/strong\u003e In Ghana's deprived districts, comprehensive reward systems and effective workplace communication are central to improving job satisfaction and retention. The inverse association between permanent contracts and satisfaction suggests a need to review employment terms and career development pathways for rural posts. Tailored, context-specific interventions addressing rewards, communication, and progression opportunities may enhance morale and support sustained service delivery in underserved areas. Keywords: Job satisfaction; Health workers; Ghana; Rural health; Retention; Deprived districts; Ordered logistic regression\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Determinants of Job Satisfaction Among Health Workers in Deprived Districts of Ghana: A Cross-Sectional Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-18 07:57:18","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9043609/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-16T14:11:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-06T03:03:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-06T03:01:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Human Resources for Health","date":"2026-03-05T19:06:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"human-resources-for-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"hrhe","sideBox":"Learn more about [Human Resources for Health](http://human-resources-health.biomedcentral.com)","snPcode":"12960","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/12960/3","title":"Human Resources for Health","twitterHandle":"@HRH_Journal","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"BMC/SO AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"67994d0d-528f-4f63-8af8-e24d05e38790","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 18th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-18T07:57:18+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-18 07:57:18","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9043609","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9043609","identity":"rs-9043609","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}