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Public engagement in Malawi through a health-talk radio programme ‘Umoyo nkukambirana’: A mixed-methods evaluation

Nyirenda, Deborah, Makawa, Tamara Chipasula, Chapita, Greyson, Mdalla, Chisomo, Nkolokosa, Mzati, O’byrne, Thomasena, Heyderman, Robert and Desmond, Nicola ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2874-8569 (2016) 'Public engagement in Malawi through a health-talk radio programme ‘Umoyo nkukambirana’: A mixed-methods evaluation'. Public Understanding of Science, Issue 2, pp. 229-142.

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Abstract

Radio is an effective source of health information in many resource poor countries. In Malawi, 53% of households own radios however few radio programmes in Malawi focus on health issues in the context of medical research. An interactive health-talk radio programme ‘Umoyo nkukambirana’ was introduced by Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme on a national radio station. The aim was to increase awareness of health and medical research, and improve engagement between researchers, healthcare workers and the public. The content and presentation were developed through participatory community consultations. Focus Group Discussions were conducted with established Radio Listening Clubs whilst quantitative data was collected using toll free FrontlineSMS to explore national response. A total of 277 to 695 SMS (Median: 477) were received per theme. The majority of SMS were received from men (64%) and mainly from rural areas (54%). The programme improved knowledge of medical research, health and dispelled misconceptions. This study suggests that the radio may be an effective means of increasing the exposure of men to health information in resource poor settings.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: W General Medicine. Health Professions > W 1-28 Reference works
W General Medicine. Health Professions > W 83 Telemedicine (General)
WA Public Health > WA 30 Socioeconomic factors in public health (General)
WA Public Health > Health Administration and Organization > WA 546 Local Health Administration. Community Health Services
WA Public Health > Health Administration and Organization > WA 590 Health education, Health communication
WA Public Health > Statistics. Surveys > WA 900 Public health statistics
Faculty: Department: Clinical Sciences & International Health > Clinical Sciences Department
Clinical Sciences & International Health > Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Programme (MLW)
Digital Object Identifer (DOI): https://doi.org/10.1177/0963662516656110
SWORD Depositor: JISC Pubrouter
Depositing User: Stacy Murtagh
Date Deposited: 17 Jan 2018 14:25
Last Modified: 07 Jun 2022 11:10
URI: https://archive.lstmed.ac.uk/id/eprint/8083

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