COVID-19 COMMUNICATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF RESIDENTS OF SOUTH EAST NIGERIA: ANY EFFECT?
Abstract
This paper made use of the qualitative method in investigating the effect of COVID-19 communication on the quality of life of residents of South East, Nigeria. The study sampled the opinion of respondents in the three selected states in South East Nigeria, using Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The discussants for the FGD were purposively selected to reflect variations in age, sex and level of education of the respondents. The snowball technique (where one contact generates another) was used for the focus groups. The study found out that the quality of life of residents of South East Nigeria was affected as a result of exposure to misinformation and misleading news about COVID-19 on different media platforms especially, on Social media. The study also revealed that the participants’ quality of life was affected in diverse ways as they reported that they had difficulty sleeping, that their work life was affected and that their personal relationships was affected as well during the pandemic. The study therefore concludes that the content of COVID-19 communication played a significant role in shaping perceptions and behaviours of South East residents towards the pandemic and that their quality of life was affected by exposure to misleading information on the pandemic. The study identified the detrimental effect of misinformation on quality of life and recommends that Authorities should adopt strategies to counteract and refute false information promptly in the wake of a pandemic.
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