The Challenges of Mass Media Public Health Communication in Rural Communities
Chapter One
Objectives of the Study
The major aim of this study was to identify the role played and existing mass media of communication in Olamaboro local government as well as identify the effectiveness of mass media of communication in delivery health communication in Olamaboro Local government.
- To identify the challenges facing mass media for delivering health communication in rural areas.
- To evaluate the relationship between mass media of communication and health communication in Olamaboro local government.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
The uniqueness of mass media of communication is connected with the people’s language, culture, belief, myth, legend and customs which enhance effectiveness of communication. The mass media of communication is not only unique in customs, tradition, and culture, but also in its means of communication. All the means of communication originated from the old Egypt and spread to china, India, Greece and Rome.
Accordingly, Nwuneli (2003), states that every society has different ways of transmitting information from one person to another, and Africa is not an exception. The indigenous communication is embedded in their originality, creativity, tradition and culture of the people this make it highly effective and enduring in the dissemination of information in a rural community. There are various types of indigenous communication media which were use in the rural area to disseminate Information, Nwuneli further gave the various mass media of communication use in rural `areas, and they include the following:
Oral Tradition: Oral Tradition is one of the most important media through which Nigerians interact/communicate with their people about issues in the community.
It is to note that long before the introduction of Arabic letters or writing materials in Africa, there are traditional ways of communication, cultural values and heritages were written down by word of mouth in the form of songs, proverbs legends, ballads and invocations.
This information is passed on from one generation to another generation, and it becomes a means of communication in the areas. The oral tradition dominated all other means of sharing information and exchange of ideas in pre-colonial era in Nigeria.
The Town Crier: This is another mass media of communication that is being use among the people of Olamaboro to disseminate information. The town crier is call “Achokobia”, the voice of the town crier or village Gong man is usually heard in the early hours of the morning preceded by the sound of a gong to pass information across to the people or deliver a message from the Gago (King) to the people. He passes important information to the people like meetings of the council of elders, the visiting of the HRH Michael Ameh Oboni II, the governor visit or the visit of the health practitioners, ceremonies, messages and imminent troubles. Even before the spread of Ebola, Lassa fever or HIV/AIDS, the town crier go around from one community to another to disseminate Asemah (2011), sees the town criers as “a significant village “broadcaster’ who summons the elders and members for decision and policy making for the progress of the community. They relay their decisions to the village masses for implementation. The town crier who is always loaded with news serves as the traditional communication link between the legal head and the villagers. He is regarded as the community journalist.
The effectiveness of the town crier usually lies in his oratorical skills and thorough knowledge of the community norms, values and heritages. In Igala land he is called “ACHOKOBIA”. However, one of his major duties is the announcement of the date and time for the new moon, which signifies the beginning of the Ramadan Festivities.
The Talking Drum: The talking drum is another traditional medium of communication which helps in developing the rural communities the talking drum is an extension of oral tradition. This talking drum is also regarded as the “UKOGA” the Talking drum produces a sound that can be heard over a very long distance. The talking drum serves for communicative functions.
Talking drum is used for calling meetings, for making some official announcements, at sacrificial ceremonies and also for pumping the Adrenaline during wars. They provide gaiety during festivities and ceremonies like New Yam festivals, weddings, and chieftaincy title taking; they also provide the atmosphere of suspense and tension during war and wrestling matches.
Age Group: In traditional societies in Nigeria, age group institution was widespread and very much cherished. Every person in the community, man and women, had an age group. Kur (2008) has written extensively on the socio-economic and political value of age group institution in Tiv land. According to Kur, age group in traditional Tiv society, referred to as Mbakwagh, carried out judicial functions by settling disputes among members of a community. One such dispute age group settled was assault on elders and constituted authority, and refusal to comply with elders’ decisions. The age group would arrest such an accused, try him or her, and when found guilty, the culprit is chastised and fined. Age Groups comprise mostly males within the same age-brackets usually those born within one to five years age range.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Design
For the sake of this study, survey research method was adopted for the study. Asemah, Gujbawu, Ekheafo, and Okpanachi (2012, p. 108) opine that survey research method is perhaps the most popular technique of data collection among communication researchers. The survey method is used due to the nature of the study and the large population to be dealt with.
Survey design has been considered a suitable instrument because it helps in getting the views and opinions of some people about a particular issue in the society, the way and manner in which people are affected. A researcher who employs this method therefore, goes into the field and selects samples out of the entire population. It was based on this that the researcher adopts survey research design.
Population of study
The population of the study is made up of adult male and female in Olamaboro local government area of Kogi state. However, population refers to animate or inanimate things which are the focus of the study; it could be town, local government areas, states, nations or persons.
The population of Olamaboro local government is one hundred and sixty thousand two hundred and thirty four 160,234, therefore the population of the study is 160,234.The sample size of the study is three hundred and forty (340). The researcher adopted the Cochran formula to determine the sample size.
Sampling and sample size
For the purpose of this study, the multi-stage sampling technique was employed. The researcher first of all stratified Olamaboro local government into five districts, which are Okpo district, Imane district, Igah district, Ogugu district, Unyi-ogugu. The researcher used Quota sampling technique to select 68 respondents from of the district. Finally, the simple random sampling technique was used to randomly administered questionnaire to the respondents.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION
This chapter basically deals with the presentation and analysis of the data gotten through questionnaire and discussion of findings related to the study. A total of 340 questionnaires were distributed and 300 were retrieved why 40 were not retrieved. Tables were employed to present the Data, showing the frequency and percentage of the response given by the respondents.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This study has attempted to identity the various mass media of communication in Olamaboro local government area and how the media were used to dissemination health related and other related problem in the various communities. The study also tried to determine the effectiveness of mass media. It also went further to examine how the existing mass media could be established and developed as an integral component of the rural socio- economic institutional infrastructures.
The results of the research have shown the need and importance of traditional means of communication for the effective rural communication and development. Due to Limited resources and low level of education of the people, majority of the rural populace have no access to modern media. For example, radio, television and newspapers.
Opubor pointed out that the process of transmitting new ideas from passive to an active state is through an atmosphere of participatory communication involving dialogue, co-operation, respect and sharing of initiatives for an effective rural based communication which would enhances development. Based on this finding, the study concludes that mass media of communication is effective in disseminating and delivering health related information in Olamaboro Local Government area of Kogi state.
In this study, the researcher made the following recommendations.
- The modern media should be used in conjunction with the mass media of communication to disseminate health information and use the various mass media which rural people are familiar with. This will give room for participatory communication among the rural dwellers and improve their health related problem.
- For effective communication effort to be achieved the mass media must be decentralized and structured instead of concentrating on the urban area those in the rural areas should be carried along even with a community base media because they require such services. The villagers should be allowed to contribute to the content of the mass media.
- The mass media of communication should be elevated by federal, state and local government in this country, especially journalists who only pay much attention to foreign media neglecting the fact the mass media of communication is the foundation to their profession.
- Mass media of communication should be made to promote the various medium of communication without giving much attention to the modern mass media by visiting various villages, communities to see how effective is mass media more especially their own community to know how the mass media are used for the promotion of our culture and health believe system which enhance unity among the rural dwellers.
- The mass media of communication can however be restructured to suit our modern and health needs. Literate members of the community should be appointed town criers so that apart from disseminating information from the ruler of the town to the people, they should be placed on salaries and be provided with radio, television and newspaper with which they should receive government news and information to disseminate same to the people.
- Private enterprises, individuals should be encouraged to establish and develop community based media especially mass media of communication into modern media news, and such community based media should focus primarily on the local community information need for health related problems and development need of rural communities and not on the urban centers.
- Journalists, who are practicing in the urban areas should not neglect their home based/mass media of communication, they should help by teaching and motivating the ruralites in the best way to achieve their information need through effective mass media, both in Olamaboro and other communities in the Nigeria at large without discrimination.
- There should be an effective communication in rural communities this is because; communication is the life blood of every society, for information makes us what we are today. Both rural dwellers, urban dwellers and the government should indulge in an effective communication to enable rural communities achieve their information need. The health information need and communication need of the people should be properly communicated to the government through the various indigenous medium of communication for rapid improvement on health related problems in various communities in Nigeria.
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