AN ASSESSMENT OF PUBIC PERCEPTION OF HEALTH-RELATED RADIO PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

AN ASSESSMENT OF PUBIC PERCEPTION OF HEALTH-RELATED RADIO PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

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Background Of The Study

One of humanity's recurring concerns is the predominance of health-related issues, as existing diseases spread and new ones arise with little or no knowledge about those illnesses and diseases. As a result, the incidence of diseases has increased, which is often caused by a lack of appropriate information about essential health situations (Amem, 2016). Poor maternal health information and awareness, for example, have been identified as contributing factors to growing maternal mortality in developing countries (Dada, 2018). As a result, the role of broadcast media, such as radio, as an efficient means of communication in society is highlighted.

Since the advent of radio, the role of community radio as a medium for community volunteer sector, civil society, agencies, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's), and people to collaborate to achieve particular community development has been extensively investigated. According to Sterling, Brien, and Bennett (2017), radio stations typically assist listeners by providing them with a range of programming that bigger commercial radio stations do not provide, as well as programs produced by the community with an emphasis on local problems and difficulties. In other words, rural radio broadcasting is an effective and strong method for conveying educational material in rural regions. It has the capacity to shape rural residents' perceptions of major health emergencies.

Notably, the Nigerian health-care system currently has some shortcomings. Inadequate coverage is a common feature of the flaws. According to Mluleki (2015), just 35% of the population has access to contemporary health services. As a result, rural people are neglected in terms of basic health care.

In compared to their urban counterparts, the majority of rural regions have low healthcare status; they are seldom educated and are more likely to suffer from a lack of access to excellent healthcare information. One main cause of this situation is information poverty, which is described as a lack of suitable access to healthcare information sources and literacy to meet health information demands. (Ajama & Nwagu, 2018) According to Okwonn (2016), improving enlightenment and health education programs is one way for addressing the shortage of relevant health information in rural populations. According to him, public sensitization would help persuade people to participate in health-improvement activities and change their views.

Olaniyi (2016) claimed that radio programs are an effective technique to encourage healthy living, which is consistent with the ongoing. In comparison to other forms of media, he states that 78% of rural families were positively impacted by the kind of media and that the media had influenced their disposition to live a healthy life. Many radio health programs are carried on practically all Nigerian radio stations. 

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Diseases are one of the difficulties that the human population is dealing with nowadays as stated by Okoro, Nwachukwu, and Ajaero in 2015. It is becoming more of a problem. New illnesses emerge on a regular basis, and established ones develop new strains, putting the resources, patience, and expertise of people, national governments, international agencies, and non-governmental organizations to the test (NGOs). Nigeria's health status is dire, according to Oyebanji (2007), as stated in Okoro et al (2015). Thousands of individuals are affected by diseases such as malaria, typhoid, polio, chicken pox, diarrhea, guinea worms, and measles, among others (both adults and children).

Each year, there are more and more cases of these ailments, showing that people are either not learning about these illnesses or are unable to act on them. Many individuals, according to Dada (2018), are dangerously unaware of the symptoms and repercussions of these disorders. However, information may help prevent and mitigate the consequences of such diseases on people, families, communities, and society as a whole. As a result, strong radio health programs aimed at teaching knowledge about health-related topics would help to enhance people's health, especially those in rural regions who suffer from bad health practices, severe diseases, and disabilities (Krough, Ichijo, and Nonaka 2015). However, severe concerns and difficulties with public health, family planning, communicable and noncommunicable illnesses continue to plague most Nigerian rural communities. This implies that individuals in Nigeria have a poor quality of life as a result of a lack of knowledge about the majority of ailments. As a result, it is normal that, under such dire situations, individuals will seek beneficial information regarding these health difficulties from trustworthy sources (Omoera, 2016).

According to Onabanjo (2015), radio has positioned itself in rural communities as the most accessible and information-patronized medium of mass communication. Because of its immediacy, ubiquity, and capacity to simultaneously reach a large, dispersed, and anonymous audience, it is an effective technique of keeping people informed about current events through a number of programs.

News, interviews, chats, periodicals, documentaries, plays, and health-related activities are all part of the radio program. In the field of health, for example, most campaigns for healthy living, such as child immunization, family planning, raising awareness about the deadly pandemic, and the need to avoid certain health hazards, such as unprotected sex and cigarette smoking, are communicated to the populace through radio programs (Ugande 2006, cited in Okwonn 2016).

In this context, radio stations in Enugu State have a range of health programmes on their menu with the express purpose of raising awareness about health pandemics in the state and emphasizing the operations of government and non-governmental organizations in the battle against the feared illnesses. As a result, the purpose of this study is exclusively to examine people' impressions of radio health programs in Nigeria.

1.3 Objective Of The Study

The following specific objectives will be used in this study:

1. To investigate the level of public’s exposure to health radio programmes.
2. To assess the public perception of the benefits of radio health programmes.
3. To analyse the public perception of the factors affecting the effectiveness of radio broadcasting on public health issues.
4. To evaluate the public opinion on possible ways to improve the effectiveness of radio health programmes.

1.4 Research Questions

The following research questions were posed in accordance with the study's objectives:

1. What is the extent to which the public are exposed to health radio programmes?
2. What are the perceptions of the public regarding the benefits of radio health programmes?
3. What are the perceptions of the public toward the factors affecting the effectiveness of radio broadcasting on public health issues?
4. What are the opinions of the public on possible ways to improve the effectiveness of radio health programmes?

1.5 Research Hypotheses

The study will test the validity of the following null hypotheses:

H01: The extent to which the public are exposed to health radio programmes is low.

H02: Radio is not very effective in broadcasting public health issues in Nigeria.

1.6 Significance Of The Study

Prior to the outbreak of the global pandemic "Covid-19", there has been an ever increasing spread of diseases and maternal mortality in Nigeria, with a great prevalence in rural locations. Despite the residents' quest for reliable information on these health issues, most of them still have little knowledge about the causes of those health conditions, their mode of transmission, prevention, etc. Hence, this study’s significance cannot be overemphasized as it will be of great benefit to the Nsukka residents, radio stations, journalists, the government, students and researchers, etc.

To Nsukka residents, this study will serve as a platform to usher in their quibble over the dissatisfaction obtained when on a quest for vital health-related information and the challenges encountered in the use of radio services in the area. The study will further enlighten radio station journalists and presenters on the need to simplify their speeches to the very understanding of a typical layman, as there is a majority of uneducated people in rural locations who also quest for vital information about health matters. Additionally, this study will communicate to the government the niggles of rural residents over the dissatisfaction and challenges they experience whenever they need vital health information. Hence, it will call the attention of the government to the various ways to improve rural health broadcasting.

Furthermore, this study will contribute to the current literature in this field and will also serve as a resource for academics, researchers, and students who may want to do future research on this or a comparable topic.

1.7 Scope Of The Study

The study is set to analyze audience perception of health-related radio programmes. The study will further examine the level of residents exposure to health radio programmes, examine public perception on the benefits of radio health programmes, examine public perception on the factors affecting the effectiveness of radio broadcasting on public health issues, and analyze public opinion on possible ways to improve the effectiveness of radio health programmes. The study will be carried out in Nsukka area of Enugu State. While the respondents will be obtained from and among Nsukka residents who are radio users.

1.8 Limitation Of The Study

In the course of carrying out this study, the researcher experienced some constraints, which included time constraints, financial constraints, language barriers, and the attitude of the respondents.

In addition, there was the element of researcher bias. Here, the researcher possessed some biases that may have been reflected in the way the data was collected, the type of people interviewed or sampled, and how the data gathered was interpreted thereafter. The potential for all this to influence the findings and conclusions could not be downplayed. 

More so, the findings of this study is limited to the sample population in the study area, hence may not be suitably used in comparison to other local governments, states and countries of the world.

1.9 Definition Of Terms

Radio Station: This is an industry which broadcast sound programmes to the public.

Radio Programme: This is a set of programmes broadcast by a radio broadcaster disseminated to the public by electronic communications networks.

Health Programme: This is  is a set of radio broadcast developed with the aim of improving the health conditions of the population.

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