Communication in health: an evaluation of malaria communication strategies in Nyamira district
Abstract
Malaria is one of the most devastating diseases in Africa, and the World Health
Organisation estimates that there are 396 million episodes of malaria every year.
The deaths of Malaria are used as an indicator of the problem of Malaria. Malaria is
a function of a large number of things, there is the Biology of transmission and
infection and control. There are environmental issues, there are communication
issues and issues of drug resistance.
The project looked at communication strategies in use in Nyamira District in Kenya.
This District is one of the epidemic prone districts.
The objective of the study were to find out the key communication strategies in use,
find out how the medical personnel disseminate the information to the intended
audience, the communication channels and vehicles used and their rating by the
audience.
The justification is that Malaria and poverty are kind of one and the same. The best
communication approaches can help the district and the country at large to realize
poverty alleviation goals. This is because when dealing with the Malaria crisis there
is reduction in amount of money available for investment.
The study was done using questionnaires, key informant interviews, focus group
discussions and exit interviews.
The results indicated that more needs to be done in terms of channels and vehicles
used in the Malaria campaign in Nyamira. The strategies should move beyond mere
production of messages. Community participation will also be crucial. Community
participation is an issue not much talked about. But when Malaria occurs in the
village the people want to know something to do now, and it is not what has been
discovered somewhere else it is about an action they can take today.
Publisher
School of Journalism, University of Nairobi
Description
Master of Arts in Communication Studies