DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROJECT

5 Users found this project useful

Effect of Community Health Podcasts on Knowledge of Disease Prevention among Young Adults in Nigeria

Abstract

Knowledge of disease prevention is an important component of healthy decision-making, early risk recognition, and adoption of appropriate preventive health practices among young adults. In Nigeria, young adults may obtain health information from social media, online platforms, peers, and other informal sources, some of which may contain inaccurate or misleading information. Community health podcasts provide an accessible digital platform through which health professionals, community health workers, and public health educators can deliver reliable information on disease prevention in an engaging and convenient format. Podcasts can address topics such as infectious disease prevention, sexually transmitted infections, HIV prevention, malaria prevention, vaccination, sanitation, nutrition, physical activity, chronic disease prevention, and other relevant health concerns. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of community health podcasts on knowledge of disease prevention among young adults in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Health Literacy Framework, and Social Cognitive Theory. The Health Belief Model explains how perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence young adults' understanding and adoption of disease-prevention measures. The Health Literacy Framework emphasizes the ability to access, understand, evaluate, and apply health information obtained through digital and community-based sources. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, social interaction, self-efficacy, reinforcement, and behavioural modelling in the acquisition and application of health knowledge. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how community health podcasts may influence knowledge of disease prevention among young adults in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise young adults aged 18–35 years residing in selected communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, local government areas, communities, and eligible participants. Community health podcasts will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of podcast episodes, duration, number of episodes accessed, health topics covered, clarity of information, involvement of qualified health professionals, use of culturally appropriate examples, language accessibility, availability through mobile devices, opportunities for audience interaction, and exposure to podcast content. Knowledge of disease prevention will be assessed using indicators such as knowledge of disease risk factors, modes of transmission where applicable, symptoms and warning signs, vaccination, hygiene and sanitation, healthy lifestyle practices, screening and early detection, appropriate healthcare-seeking, and available preventive health services. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, disease-prevention knowledge assessment tools, podcast access records where available, episode participation records, listener feedback, and relevant programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, podcast exposure, preferred information sources, and disease-prevention knowledge scores. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of community health podcasts on knowledge of disease prevention. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, knowledge scores before and after exposure to the podcast intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that community health podcasts have a significant positive effect on knowledge of disease prevention among young adults in Nigeria. Young adults exposed to regular, credible, and well-designed community health podcasts are expected to demonstrate greater knowledge of disease-prevention measures than those without comparable exposure. The convenience and portability of podcasts may allow young adults to access health information while commuting, studying, working, or engaging in other daily activities. Presenting health information through discussions, interviews, personal experiences, expert explanations, and question-and-answer segments may improve engagement and understanding. The use of familiar languages, culturally relevant examples, and topics addressing common concerns among young adults may further increase the usefulness of podcast-based health education. However, limited internet access, high data costs, inadequate digital literacy, competing online content, misinformation, irregular podcast production, low listener engagement, and difficulty verifying the credibility of some digital health information may reduce effectiveness. The study therefore expects regular, credible, accessible, and engaging community health podcasts to contribute significantly to improved knowledge of disease prevention among young adults in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on digital health education, community health podcasts, disease-prevention knowledge, health communication, digital health literacy, health promotion, youth health, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, state ministries of health, public health educators, healthcare providers, community health workers, youth organizations, media organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding the use of digital platforms for health education. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for developing credible community health podcasts, involving qualified health professionals in content creation, using culturally appropriate and locally understandable messages, improving digital accessibility, incorporating interactive audience engagement, addressing emerging health concerns among young adults, and integrating podcast-based education with broader community and digital health-promotion programmes in Nigeria.

Keywords: Community health podcasts, disease prevention, health knowledge, young adults, digital health education, health communication, health literacy, health promotion, disease prevention knowledge, digital health, Nigeria, public health.