Public Perception Of Radio Broadcast Programmes On Health Matters: (Case Study Of Onitsha Residents)

Public Perception Of Radio Broadcast Programmes On Health Matters: (Case Study Of Onitsha Residents)

Chapiter 1

Introduction

1.1 The study’s context

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. However, 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. In other words, sound could be transmitted and received using these waves (Adelana, O. 2020). Radio is “the process of delivering and receiving communications via the air using electromagnetic waves,” according to Ajibade, O., and Alabi, S. (2017). Additionally, it describes the process of broadcasting shows with the intention of letting viewers listen to them. Ajibade, O. et al. (2017) claim that one of the most important forms of communication is radio. 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. Various 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.

Health communication is the study and practice of disseminating information intended to improve one’s health, such as through public health initiatives, health education, and interactions between a patient and a clinician (Dutta-Bergman, 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. Since 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 those exposed to health messages because “serendipitous learning via radio can serve as a major mode of health information collecting” (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 A description of the issue

Health communicators, educators, and advocates have been motivated to investigate and utilize social media and other types of mass media due to the importance of effectively communicating health messages to the general population. 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 have an impact on people’s awareness, knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, abilities, 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. Little 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 The purpose 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 Questions for Research

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 Importance of the research

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. The study will essentially work as a reference for governmental and non-governmental organizations, decision-makers, and medical experts regarding the requirement to control the veracity of health information presented on radio programs. The study’s findings will also be used as a data base by academics in mass communication who might be interested in learning more about the worldwide healthcare infodemic. Empirically, the work will be used as a resource by academics and students who seek to do additional research in a similar topic.

1.6 Aims of the Research

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 The study’s limitations

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. Additionally, there were transportation and economical limitations to consider. Lack of funding frequently makes it more difficult for researchers to acquire data (through the internet, a questionnaire, or interviews) and locate the necessary materials, literature, or information.

1.8 Definition of key words

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. They 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. By enhancing health literacy, health information dissemination aims to affect individual health decisions.

Reference

2020 Nigerian Radio Dramas to Dispel Myths About COVID-19, Adelana, O. the fallacies around COVID 19 are busted by Nigerian radio dramas, according to https://www.wsscc.org/media/ resources

Community Radio in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges, Covenant Journal of Communication 4 (1), 26–38, O. Ajibade and S. Alabi, 2017.

2017; Akingbulu, A. Nigerian community radio building: problems and difficulties. Imeso and PIWA in Lagos

Davis, D.K., and S.J. Baran (2012). (6th edition) Mass communication theory: Foundations, Ferment, and Future. : Cengage Learning, Wadsworth.

(2007). Cowan, C., and Hoskins, R. information preferences of breast cancer patients undergoing treatment. 16(6), 543-550, European Journal of Cancer Care.

Wakefield, M., Durkin, S. (2009). Comparative reactions to anti-smoking ads on radio and television to promote quitting. 25(1), 5-13; Health Promotion International.

M. J. Dutta-Bergman (2004). Comparisons in the areas of health attitudes, health cognitions, and health behaviors are the key sources of health information. 273-288 in Health Communication, 16(3).

(2006). Nguyen, G. T., and Bellamy, S. L. Asian Americans and Whites differ from each other in their preferences and experiences while obtaining cancer information, according to the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). 11, 173–180, Journal of Health Communication.