Communication Strategies for Intervention Against Breast and Prostate Cancers in Plateau State, Nigeria
Abstract
Effective communication strategy has been the pivot of any health campaign. While several stakeholders have made efforts to ensure that information about diseases are adequately stepped down to the public in the most effective way, global burden of disease keeps increasing, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study, using breast and prostate cancers as key variables, sought to examine communication strategies to be used as intervention for breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. Anchored on the Health Belief Model which supports preventive, sick role and clinic use behavioural changes, the study conducted a survey across six selected LGAs in the three Senatorial Districts of Plateau State. 2,652 copies of two sets of questionnaire were distributed among the male population for prostate cancer and the female population for breast cancer. Findings of the study revealed that mainstream media platforms such as Radio and Television, with traditional channels such as worship places are the communication channels both males and females are exposed to more frequently than other contemporary channels such as Facebook and WhatsApp. It was also found out that respondents’ preferences for effective communication channels in their communities were affected by other fields of experience such as religion and settlement patterns. Furthermore, while both men and women claim to be aware of the two kinds of diseases, further analysis showed that their sources of information on health issues are limited, creating gaps in their knowledge. The researchers therefore recommended that health institutions and health communicators should devise other strategies for communicating health issues to the public, especially in rural areas where modern communication avenues are limited, such as partnering with the media to develop holistic knowledge-based information strategies that suit people with different experiences
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