Influence Of Media Campaigns on The Level of Attitude and Practice of Lassa Fever Risk Factors, Prevention and Treatment Behaviour of Enugu State Residents

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the influence of media campaigns on the level of attitude and practice of Lassa fever risk factors, prevention, and treatment behavior of Enugu State residents. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select participants, and both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a questionnaire and interview guide, respectively. The measuring instruments were validated through content and face validity, and the test-retest method was used to establish the reliability of the questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were employed for data analysis, and hypotheses were tested using the chi-square statistic. The study found that media campaigns had a significant influence on the level of attitude and practice of Lassa fever risk factors, prevention, and treatment behavior of Enugu State residents (computed value (326.09) was greater than the chi-square table value (0.103). The study also revealed that there was a significant relationship between the level of knowledge of Lassa fever risk factors, prevention, treatment, and practice, and the attitude towards Lassa fever media campaigns on the risk factors, prevention, treatment, and practice. The study recommends that health communication strategies should be tailored to the specific needs of the target population, and that media campaigns should be designed to address the knowledge gaps and misconceptions about Lassa fever