Abstract

Radio has been used to solve many social problems in Africa. It is common for radio presenters to ‘play’ doctor in their programmes, offering a variety of remedies for social problems afflicting their audiences. Media practitioners are motivated by the belief that media is powerful in influencing social and behaviour change, including health matters. Research shows that media consumers have higher health literacy and can adopt protective behaviour measures against health risk especially when messages are theory-based. Coro FM and Inooro FM, popular Kikuyu radio stations in Kenya, produced and broadcast messages aimed at influencing behaviour change among alcoholics in Central Kenya. It was not known whether these messages were theory-based. The study interpreted the radio messages guided by the health belief model (HBM) through focus group discussions. Participants listened to each sampled radio message before discussing questions relating to it, guided by the HBM constructs.  Findings showed that majority of the messages promoted severity and susceptibility perceptions that were known and experienced by the participants. Moderating constructs that include perceived benefits, self-efficacy and a demonstration on removal of barriers were neglected, which can lead to denial of the dangers of alcoholism or rejection of the radio messages.

Key Words: Health Belief Model, Behaviour Change, Vernacular Radio, Alcoholism, Health Communication

About the Authors

*Rose Mwangi-Mburu, Ph.D., is a lecturer in Strategies of Communication, Persuasion and Communication across Cultures in the Department of Strategic and Organizational Communication, School of Communication, Daystar University, Kenya. Research interests are in strategic health communication and behaviour change.

**George Ngugi King’ara, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in Communication and Media Studies in the Department of Communication, Media, Film and Theatre Studies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. His research interests are in the cultures of television production and conceptualization of audiences and new media cultural formations.

***John Mugubi, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Film and Dramatic Arts in the Department of Communication, Media, Film & Theatre Studies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya and Chairman of the Kenya Film Lecturers and Instructors Association. His publications focus on Screenwriting, Film Theory, History of Kenyan Film and Film Genres.

^JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 17, No. 1, April 2025, pp. 13-26

© Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON).

Article Citation

Mwangi-Mburu, R., King’ara, G. N. & Mugubi, J. (2025). Target audience perception of radio messages promoting behaviour change among alcoholics in Central Kenya: A Health Belief Model analysis. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 17 (1): 13-26.

Full Article

Words: 8,148

Pages: 14

To access full article, click on download.