The Role of Media in Creating Awareness Against Drug Abuse
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The overall purpose of this study is to find out the current trend of drug abuse among the undergraduate students in Nigeria and analyse the strategies used to address the problem, with the mass media site, STV in view. The specific objectives of the study are as follows;
- To examine the impact of mass media in creating awareness against drug abuse among Nigeria youth.
- To identify and evaluate strategies used among undergraduate to address drug abuse, their effectiveness and shortcomings.
- To examine whether STV educate and enlighten the general public in drug abuse.
- To know if mass media awareness on drug abuse has reduced the unlawful use of drug in society.
- To examine if STV present adequate information on effect of drug abuse to the people in society.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
It is mandatory in any research study to review relevant and related material of other authors or book publishers to get their views about the topic of discuss in order to enrich and strengthen the substance or content of the study. This research is specifically on the impact of mass media in creating awareness against drug abuse. In this chapter the study intends to examine the impact of the mass media in creating awareness about drug abuse in Nigeria. To propose strategies that could help curb drug abuse in Nigeria to examine the effect of drug abuse in Nigeria.
Among the key issues that will be reviewed here includes, an over view of Nigeria mass media, awareness creation by the mass media in Nigeria, the concept of drug abuse around the globe etc.
THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
This study will have its theoretical framework on exposure theory and agenda setting theory.
ASSUMPTION OF THEORIES
Exposure theory: This theory simply deals with how one chooses to expose himself to some particular media content. It can be divided into three stages which are selective exposure, selective attention and selective retention theory. The selective exposure means you simple select the kind of content you open yourself to e.g most people prefer to expose themselves to entertainment news rather than political news. Now even after exposing yourself to a particular kind of content, it’s not everything you listen to in the entertainment news they might be talking about fashion and the music industry and you choose to listen to only the fashion news, that is you selectively putting your attention to the fashion news and for the selective retention you chose to remember few things mentioned in the fashion news. Every other thing said is regarded as noise to you. How this theory relates to my topic is basically that not everyone exposes themselves to mass media messages on STV and even among those who watch STV not everyone gets to watch the messages on drug abuse awareness and for those who do watch the messages only a few choose to retain what they saw and act upon it. On selective exposure you have to be watching programmes or advert on drug abuse and for the selective attention well if you’re watching STV programmes not all their programmes will catch your attention and the few that catches your attention and you choose to act upon is the one you selectively retain.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter discussed the method used in the study. The researcher adopted the use of two research method, the in-depth interview and questionnaire. This is because the study was highly interested in analysing the impact of mass media in creating awareness about drug abuse with regard to the Silverbird Television so to test and validate.
The servicing Questionnaires was used to illicit Reponses and information. This method is use to reduce bias and error variance.
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research design is the framework which specifies the type of information to be gathered including sources of data and the procedures used in collecting item. The researcher used the survey method of research to carry out this study.
Survey method is a vital means of eliciting response from respondents. According to Ohaja, (2003:10) survey is a study of the characteristic of a sample through questioning that enables a research to make generalisation concerning his population of interest. The method is proved to be the most convenient and effective method of the discipline.
SOURCES OF DATA
In carrying out this study, data were basically collected from two main sources namely, primary and secondary source.
PRIMARY SOURCE OF DATA COLLECTION
Primary data are obtained through the formulation, structuring and administration of questionnaire within the sample location. This exercise provided the opportunity for easy gathering of information. Another source of data is through interview.
SECONDARY SOURCE OF DATA COLLECTION
These are data collected from review, from available documents. In other words, secondary data constitute information relating to the study, which have been in existence before. These includes; Textbooks, Journals, Newspaper, Magazines and Internet.
POPULATION OF STUDY
Polit & Hugler (1999:37). Refer to population of study as an aggregate or totality of all objects, subjects or members that conforms a set of specification. The population dealt within this study was chosen randomly from the staff of the Silverbird television Port Harcourt. And a random sample of Two Hundred and Fifty (250) people were chosen from different parts of Port Harcourt with demographic and psychographic characteristics example Sex, Educational Level, Age etc.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF DATA
INTRODUCTION
The major aim of this study is to analyse the impact of mass media in creating awareness about drug abuse and also to determine how effective the mass media is in creating awareness about drug abuse Silverbird television (STV), as part of the data collection process, questionnaire were being administered to a sample population of mass media in creating awareness about drug abuses.
The sample size was chosen from different parts of Port Harcourt, before going into the presentation and analysis of data gathered the result statistics of questionnaires administered will be discussed.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
INTRODUCTION
SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH
The problem of drug abuse has become a universal one, as it has extended beyond adult and urban settlers to now include young female and even those who live in rural area. Also in our institution of higher learning, Alcohol, India Hemp, Marijuana and Tobacco seems to be most widely used and accessible drugs among our youths.
The findings also showed that smoking in particular has rendered a good number of our youths socially insane and the family as the primary agent of socialisation, has degenerated thereby exposing our youths as easy privy of drug abuse. A close relationship between the child and the parent at early age will not only expose the danger inherent in drug but it will help the children to avoid drug in it infinity.
Also, the media especially the mass media has enormous role to play in the struggle against drug abuse by not encouraging commercials that promote the sale of products like tobacco not considering the financial profit that may be incurred from such advertisement.
CONCLUSION
The following concessions have been drawn from the relevant major findings of the study.
Drug abuse has a bad effect on the health of the nation especially among our youths in institution of higher learning. The mass media as a vehicle of information has enormous task to help in combating of this scourge.
Drug abuse in all this ramifications has dented the image of the country. The war against drug abuse can only be won with their concerted effort and cooperation of various government agencies, individual/private organizations.
RECOMMENDATION
In view of the forgoing discussion, a few observations and recommendations could be made for consideration and implementation. This is necessary in view of the fact that more has to be done on drug abuse problem. The following recommendation were made by the researcher;
- I recommend that the mass media should intensify their public awareness campaign by organizing drama, symposium, lectures not only in the urban areas but also in our rural areas, this campaign should be made available because research as shown that Nigeria youths in both rural and urban area of different socio-economic background indulges in the use and abuse of dangerous and illicit drugs.
- I also recommend drug abuse education in schools and this should be pursued by providing factual information, this additional instruction should infuse drug education into existing school curriculum related to this is the establishment and encouraging of drug free club in our schools.
- Finally, the mass media being an effective instrument for mass mobilization should encourage the government to establish counselling Centers in Churches, Mosques, Markets, town halls recreation Centers, hospitals. This will provide the therapeutic environment that allows a two-way communication interaction to take place between counsellor and client.
REFERENCES
- Botvin, Gilbert J. 2000. “Preventing Drug Abuse in Schools: Social and Competence Enhancement Approaches Targeting individual-Level Etiological Factors.” Addictive Behaviors 25:887—897.
- Botvin, Gilbert J.; Baker, Eli; Dusenbury, Linda; Botvin, Elizabeth Lvi.; and Diaz, Tracy. 1995. “Long-Term Follow-Up Results of a Randomized Drug Abuse Prevention Trial in a White Middle-Class Population.”
- Botvin, Gilbert J.; Griffin, Kenneth W.; Diaz, Tracy; Scieieter, Lawrence M., et al. 2000. “Preventing Illicit Drug Use in Adolescents: Long-Term Follow-Up Data from a Randomized Control Trial of a School Population.” Addictive Behaviors 5:769—774.
- “2000 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom: Nigeria.” U. S. Department of State. 16 February 2002.
- Agbaje, Adigun A. B. The Nigerian Press, Hegemony, and the Social Construction of Legitimacy: 1960-1983 .Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellon Press, 1992.
