Authors:
ONYINYE ESTHER WASHINGTON-MAJOR AND LINDA NNENNA IKECHUKWU

Emails: onyinyechimajor@gmail.com, linda.ikechukwu@gmail.com

Paper Title:
SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA RESIDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND COMPLIANCE TO MEDIA CAMPAIGNS AIMED AT CURBING THE SPREAD OF COVID-19
Publised in OKO JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION SCIENCE    (VOLUME 3 NUMBER 2 JANUARY 2021)
Abstract:

The study examines the level of knowledge and compliance of residents of South East, Nigeria to media messages aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The study is premised on three objectives and anchored on the Health Belief Model theory. The survey research method was used to gather data. Due to the NCDC guidelines on COVID-19, the researcher used an anonymous online questionnaire to collect data using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Data were presented in frequencies and percentages on tables and analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings show that most respondents have moderate knowledge about COVID-19, mostly derived from social media. The study also shows that most of the respondents partially comply with media campaigns aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria. This partial compliance is due to the difficulty of adapting to a new way of life and their lack of confidence in the government of the day. Based on the findings of the study, the researcher, therefore, recommended that the media should embark more on evidence-based reportage. Evidence-based reportage entails showing Nigerians videos and pictures of those suffering from COVID-19, i.e. infected persons in hospital beds perhaps with life support as seen in other countries such as the United States. This will improve the confidence of the audience on the media and ensure strict compliance to campaigns aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Keywords: Knowledge, Compliance, Media Campaigns, COVID-19

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