Abstract

Media campaigns have been used to expose high proportions of a population to health promotion messages, using the media as an educational tool. There is also a vast literature and debates relating to public health information campaigns. Scholars sometimes argue comparatively on the effectiveness of various channels. This study under the framework of Social Learning and Agenda-Setting Theories, appraises the place of health education in the Nigerian media as they relate to message depth, audience exposure, and message influence rate. It examines the efficacy of individual medium and the relationship between multi-sectoral involvement in health education and audience knowledge of health intervention campaigns. The Survey research technique was adopted. A sample of six hundred (600) participants drawn from three major towns in Anambra State was selected using the stratified random sampling method. Findings show inadequacies in the level of attention and depth of analysis of health education issues through the Nigerian media, resulting in poor knowledge of diseases and treatments among the audience. Findings also showed that radio is the most popular and very significant medium in reaching respondents on health education issues, thus corroborating earlier studies that recognized radio as the most popular medium for development messages.  .

Key Words: Mass Media, Health Education, Campaigns, Health

                      Promotion, Interventions.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 6, No. 1, April 2014, 63 – 81 

©Delmas Communications Ltd.

About the authors

*Dr. Ifeoma Dunu, Ph.D. lectures at the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.

**Ebele Ezepue also lectures at the Department of Mass Communication, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.

Full Article

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