PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF RADIO BROADCAST PROGRAMMES ON HEALTH MATTERS: (CASE STUDY OF ONITSHA RESIDENTS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
The survival of society depends on the satisfaction of specified communication requirements. According to Baran S. and Davis, D. (2012), these criteria were there long before Samuel Morse and Johann Gutenberg created the electric telegraph and printing press, respectively. Nonetheless, there are times when mass communication’s functions are undesirable from a societal or personal standpoint. Broadcast media, such as radio and television, serve a variety of functions for society, including surveillance, interpretation, connection, transfer of values, socialization, entertainment, and dissemination of health information. Radio is an audio medium that is used to reach a large audience. Radio is a means of electrical wave-based communication transmission. To put it another way, these waves may transmit and receive sound (Adelana, O.2020). Radio is “the method of providing and receiving communications via the air using electromagnetic waves,” according to Ajibade, O., and Alabi, S. (2017). Also, it describes the process of broadcasting shows with the intention of letting viewers listen to them. Ajibade, O. et al. claim that one of the most important forms of communication is radio (2017).
Radio is used by people to transmit spoken words, music, and other communication signals to any location on Earth. Radio broadcasts today feature music, news, chat, interviews, descriptions of sporting events, and commercials. On their way to work and in their spare time, people listen to the radio in their cars to hear their favorite shows. Many types of news are aired on radio. Airline pilots, astronauts, construction workers, police officers, sailors, and other professionals who work in a number of fields, including health communication, use radio in addition to broadcasting. The study and practice of disseminating health information for promotional purposes, such as through public health campaigns, health education, and between a doctor and patient, is known as health communication (Dutta-Bergman, M. 2004). Sharing health information aims to increase health literacy, which will impact individual health choices. Health communication is the process of using radio to broadcast and disseminate information to the public about health issues. The best and simplest way to communicate with an audience is through radio broadcasting. Radio has a bigger audience than television since it is more affordable and can reach listeners at home, at work, and in their cars. Since it utilized to transmit a range of programming, the public can listen to the radio’s primetime hour whenever they like. As radio reaches a wide audience and is reasonably priced, using it to spread health information is quite advantageous.
Health professionals have used radio to inform listeners about ailments after realizing the benefits of using it to spread health messages. Producing and airing this kind of programming is essential for people exposed to health messages because “serendipitous learning via radio can serve as a primary mode of health information collection” (Dutta-Bergman, 2004). Radio has a big impact on people’s lives since it may swiftly get to them. The radio broadcast’s prime time hour is also handy for listeners, which might make it a great success and have the power to change people’s attitudes about health-related issues.
1.2 Statement of the problem
The importance of successful health message transmission to the general public has spurred health communicators, educators, and advocates to explore and use social media and other types of mass media. Recent research has revealed how consumers actually interact with and like to interact with health information. This is due to the fact that successfully disseminating health information to people and communities is one of the primary aims of public health. Communication that is timely and accurate can be beneficial for people, communities, and societies as a whole. Effective health communication can influence people’s awareness, knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, capacities, and commitment to behavior change (Nguyen & Bellamy, 2006).
Health educators and professionals commonly employ a variety of strategies when developing health education campaigns to close the gap between desired and actual methods of gathering essential health information. Health education campaigns usually include television advertising, Internet content, radio broadcasts, and PSAs in addition to in-person programming. However Radio is no longer widely used for health education and promotion as a result of recent technological advancements. Health communication professionals and academics are increasingly focused on the expanding availability of health information on the Internet, even though radio announcements and programs are still frequently employed in health education campaigns. Less research has recently been done on the value of a radio broadcast focused on community health education due to technological advancements. In light of this, this study aims to investigate how people perceive radio programs on health-related topics.
1.3 Objective of the study
Examining public perception of radio broadcast programs on health issues is the study’s main goal. The research specifically aimed to:
1. Evaluate how people prefer and actually get health information;
2. Determine the extent to which radio broadcasts are used to spread health messages.
3. Examine whether radio is a useful tool for boosting health awareness and intentions to alter behavior.
4. Examine the elements that influence a person’s preference for radio as a source of health information.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research question serves as a guide for the investigation:
1. What are the current and preferred ways to get health messages?
2. To what extent are radio broadcasts used to spread health-related messages?
3. Is radio a useful tool for boosting health awareness and intentions to alter behavior?
4. What aspects influence a person’s preference for radio as a source of health information?
1.5 Significance of the study
The study’s conclusions would be significant from both an empirical and practical standpoint. Practically speaking, it will help define how radio broadcasts are used to share healthcare information and mold community audience members’ views on health. Practically the study will serve as a document for government and non-governmental organizations, policy makers and healthcare professionals on the need to regulate the credibility of health information shared on radio presentations. Additionally, the result of the study will serve as a data base to mass communication researchers who may be interested in learning the global healthcare infodemic. Empirically, the study will be used as a resource by academics and students who wish to pursue additional research in a related field.
1.6 Scope of the Study
This study’s focus is on how the general audience perceives radio programs on health-related topics. The study will contrast people’s actual and preferred ways of getting health information. It will determine the extent to which health messages are carried on radio. It will establish whether radio is a useful tool for boosting health awareness and intentions to alter health-related behavior. It will look into the elements that affect a person’s choice of radio station for health news. Onitsha Residents in Anambra State are the only ones included in the study.
1.7 Limitation of the study
Like all human attempts, this scientific project faced obstacles that may have prevented it from being completed. One of the causes is that the researcher did not have enough time to accomplish the task completely due to the short amount of time given for this work. The researcher had to work extra hard to comprehend the respondents’ interview schedules because many of them belonged to the unintelligible age group. Also, there were transportation and economical limitations to consider. Lack of funding frequently makes it more difficult for researchers to collect data effectively and locate the necessary materials, literature, or information (internet, questionnaire, interview).
1.8 Definition of terms
Radio: A radio is an audio communication tool that can reach a big audience. When using radio, electrical waves are used to transmit messages.
Health behaviors are actions people conduct that have an impact on their health. These include behaviors that promote better health, like eating healthily and exercising, as well as behaviors that raise one’s risk of disease, like smoking, binge drinking, and dangerous sexual conduct.
In public health campaigns, health education, and interactions between a doctor and a patient, health communication refers to the study and practice of disseminating information about favorable health. Through enhancing health literacy, health information dissemination aims to affect individual health decisions.
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