FACEBOOK HEALTH MESSAGES: KNOWLEDGE AND RESPONSIVENESS BY RESIDENTS OF ABAKALIKI IN EBONYI STATE
Abstract
Facebook is new channel of communication and the usage is witnessed in all aspects of society. Facebook has been utilized effectively in promoting public health. Despite the importance and strength of Facebook over other mass media channels little is known about the extent to which concerned health authorities use Facebook to promote public health and the extent which users were influenced to take health actions because of Facebook health messages. The study was an empirical one and survey research was adopted. The work was hinged on Precede Model. Data were collected in the city of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria by administering questionnaire to a sample of 372 respondents. Tables with simple percentages were used to present the data. This study found out that health organisations use Facebook to promote public health. It also established that Facebook health messages influence the respondents to take health actions. Based on these findings, this study recommended that health agency/parastatal executives should conduct research to know the media channel that is accessible, affordable and available to citizens then use such medium to promote public health. It also suggested that National Communications Commission (NCC) and health agencies should always regulate health messages on Facebook.
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