Mass Media and Coverage of Health Awareness System in Nigeria (a Case Study of NTA Enugu and Health Care Magazine)
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objective of the study is to estimate the extent of mass media coverage on health system awareness system in Nigeria.
Also, it is to analyze their performance, in effective, in other words the most likely way they have improved in the speedy; efficient, effective and qualitative method of health awareness.
Thirdly; as pioneer – investigators accepted popular impression of the mass media as capable of being employed to inform, educate, alert as well as used to encourage people to move away from absence behaviours capable of exposing one to HIV infection far a more sanitized and health environment.
It also includes to ascertain the relationship between health institutions and the media houses as it concerns elastic health awareness to the public.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Since this topic would be better described as the affect of mass media campaign on health awareness system in the country, it is proper and appropriate to review relevant past studies in the area of information dissemination with emphasis on those information, the media used which are likely to affect the acceptance or rejection of a given message and also the factor that facilitates or retards the success of public health information campaign and health itself.
First of all it should be noted that old forms of communication, ie, tradition and communication would not be effectively discussed in our study.
Obviously, life is our greatest treasure life is man’s most valuable possession and very crucial in order of value in health. Without good health life is not worth living: for the joy and pleasure in life is not there again: for instance some body who is not in good health cannot move about at will, he cannot feed very well as he suppose.
Never the less, there is more than one approach to health problems. As a matter of fact mass media stands as the only messiah to help people see clearly about health issues. This is because of its effect on diverse audience through the media information dissemination and diffusion. According to Tubbs and mass (1980) P.#, they viewed diffusion of information in terms of, how quickly news or information travels and the communication channels through which it speaks to a community of receiver! Also; Rogers and shoe maker 91971) P. 12 explained diffusion as a special type of communication channels which is basically concerned with how innovation spread to the members of a social system?
The central point in diffusion is that information is sent out to the public through some communication channels accepted to the source and receiver. The most commonly used channels are the mass media and inter-personal communication channels.
As it is today health issues and media is a development programme.
According to A.C Sclmon: A sick man not only suffer pains and discomfort to him self, unable to supply his own needs: but also require one more persons to stop doing their ordinary work and spend their time in carrying for him. In this it becomes a burden to others because they must nurse him. Would these people not to have contributed to the development of the country.
In addition the sick person is also a menace to everyone in his immediate neighborhood because many diseases are easily transmitted from one person to another. But when health is impaired, it cannot be restored in a day. It is a great error to look upon diseases as a matter of less important though a care can be affected by taking a few does of some medicine. Most diseases require many days to heal and looking at these viewpoints it is evident that the community as a whole and every individual in the community should place a very high value on health Sclmon (1976).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
RESEARCH METHOD
Every research work makes use of different methods. However, there are times when two or more topics may have the same type of research methods. Also for every given topic there can be up to two research methods, bit one of it must be very appropriate among those available (survey, experimental, and historical, etc).
For this topic, we shoes the survey method (here questionnaire are given out to the respondents who fill and return the said questionnaire) and the interview method (in this case, questions are asked to the respondents like media expert such as Walter Nnaji, the Manger of News and current Affairs NTA channel 8, Enugu, and Mrs. Uka Akpulu of General Hospital Onitsha). In both cases as outlined above, the questions that are asked to the respondents are tailored in such a way that answers to then would lead to having the necessary data needed for the research work.
We adopted the survey method of research in order to obtain a clear objective, balanced and reliable result for a research oriented work. This method in addition is very useful for a research work that involves a large population. This method was used because of its naturalistic method of extracting information from people about their feelings and opinions on health issues, which this study needed for valid and reliable data.
RESEARCH DESIGN
The use of questionnaire has been considered most popular and appropriate for the collection of data in social science research, particularly those dealing with attitudes and behaviours.
Questions in the questionnaire are designed in such a way that with answers questionnaire was divided into two major parts, the first part dealt on the personal data of the respondent i.e the demographic details such as age, sex and marital status etc. While the second part is specifically in the subject matter.
Mean while, the questionnaire consist more of close ended questions with few open ended questions. This is to enable us to cliat certain facts and information from the respondents.
We also made sure that the questionnaire was designed in such a way that it does not fall below a given standard other wise, our purp in embarking in this research work might be defeated. Consequently, we made sure that the questions that were asked are simple, short, clear , and easy to answer.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS
DATA ANALYSIS
Following the operation in the study of this work, a total member of 250 questionnaire were distributed and a total number of 250 responses received, thus indicates 100% returns and 0% unreturned.
Out of the 250 respondents 198% the total respondents were males while 50 era female only 2 did not indicate their sex. Moreover 100 respondents return their questionnaire are single, 120 married, and 30 no marital status. In other words, single has 40% married 48% those who did not indicate either 12%.
In terms of occupation, civil servants were 130 (52%), students 80 (32%), business 40, and other works 16%, etc.
However, a greater percentage of the respondents fall within the age bracket of 20-40 years consisting mainly of students mud workers with the specified areas in the scope of our study.
Never the less, I shall use frequency distribution in our data analysis but for the sake of references, pic hart and other explanatory model may be used for a coherent presentation.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATION FOR FURTHER STUDY
SUMMARY
Professor V. Ramaliagaswamm once said when asked “ how to minimize AIDS spread” that to care is a study, to control or prevent is a responsibility. Provention and care are the twin engine that should drive our effort for the curtailment of AIDS.
All the same in my interview with Walter Nnaji of NTA channel 8 Enugu, when asked “does health in any way effect the economic standard of a country”, he said
Of course, a healthy nation they say is a wealthy nation. When the inhabitants of a particular society becomes sick every minute of the day, how would they work towards development, how could they face their daily activities, it is not economic decay.
If a country is rich, it is been determined by the amount of labour force of the country resulting from health standard of the society in general. Therefore standing on the above assertions, the content of health must be our daily vision. In addendum Kudoes the mass media and the development media which has specified between old and new and anticipation for our health in future. How ever, this work, which is the role of the mass media in coverage on health awareness system reveals to an extent the participatory role of the media concerning health matters.
According to the production manager and the new editor of NTA Enugu. Their participation on health system includes:
- During invention of new health programmes they go on invitation but not paid.
- some health issues were aired as an advertinal to create effect and advice the masses on how to obstain from diseases e.g smoking cigarettes and HIV etc.
- they also embark on self proposal research like going to areas where there is a health problems for instance Abakaliki leprosy and guinea worm scourge.
- in the recent days, the immunization information is mainly their primary function aimed at fulfilling their objectives after their 1976 research on six child killer diseases namely meakes, tetanus, tuber culosis, whooping cough etc.
- NTA also of to rural areas with health workers to inculcate people on how they avoid communication diseases and other health issues such as family planning and breast feeding.
- their messages are mostly dramatized when it is directed to less educated audience.
- these are mapped out programmes on health such as alive and health: where specialist are called and questioned on some health problems. These programmes last for 25 minutes. At times it is a call in for views.
- when considered on daily basis coverage the health institution invities them.
- NTA often slot films like good bye tomorrow at their later night movie to stimulate the mind on the danger of the HIV scourage.
- if it is a health workshop, the health workers pay just like advent’s
- they use some health issues as a background to their news e.g farm news.
- most often they collaborated with non-government organization in some health matters such as EPI and NPI of early 80’s.
- healthcare magazine and other newsprint should complement in dissemination of health programme.
Dr. R. Igbedion of UNICEF Enugu said that time has passed when individuals or government are left to battle alone with health since the world has came to recognize the need for world peace and health. In Nigeria, he states, we are to save and save the people but since we cannot get to them on interpersonal basis we rely wholly on the media, he commented that recently NTA and Radio Nigeria is their backbone. Stating further, his 12 health communication” he explained that development journalism is what they rely and depend on in order to reach the maximum population of over 100 million citizen of Nigeria.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Firstly, the Nigeria media practitioners should more beyond mere dissemination of information on menacing diseases towards more targeted and integrated programmes aimed at prevention and control of different using the mass media as a means to teach, enlighten and influence people at all levels.
Secondly, the government, non-government organizations, private individuals and even other health bodies should be encouraged in making freet strides of fighting disease and thereby improving our health.
For one cannot over emphasis the importance of joint efforts which festers effective control and prevention and preventive measures of diseases in Nigeria.
Thirdly, the media practitioners should use local languages or dialects appropriate to their target audience so that they can understand the health messages.
For if there’s no understanding and feedback, the media have not communication.
Nigeria is amongst the popular countries in the combat of deadly diseases and their great value for the future lies in their ability to perform the following roles.
- To kick up health issues on public agents.
- To stimulate wide spread societal support for disease prevention.
- To create a conducive environment for new practices by providing an umbrells that shelters the intensive behaviound change programme from public forum.
- To use the power the press reduced sterefyping and increase change programme from public forum. For Nigeria to achieve the above mentioned objectives the following should be done.
Specific members of the press have to be trained to be health expects to aliase with the government as to make effective use of the press on eliminating and reducing diseases spread.
Secondly, there should be regular press conferences with the national health committee or ministry of health. This will enable the press or mass media to be able to communicate accurate, objective, balance and factural information on health awareness system in Nigeria.
Thirdly, students of mass communication in all higher institutions in Nigeria should be educated extensively on science writing so that they can be able to report findings on our environment especially findings that affect our health. As a matter of fact, the media plays a veritable role in health awareness system in Nigeria and other countries of the world.
REFERENCES
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- Hypothesis Research, 1975 vol.2 No.1 Soe Pub, Inc. USA.
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- Campaign Fails, Public Opinion 1997 Quarterly vol. 11
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