ABSTRACT

The study investigated the effectiveness of media (interpersonal, mass media and media mix) in disscminatini HIV/AIDS information to rural communities in Abia State. Abia State is made up of three senatorial zones Abia North, Abia South and Abia Central. Out of the three zones, two zones (Abia North and South) were selected for the study. In each zone, one Local Government Area was randomly selected The Local Government Areas selected were Ohafia and Obingwa. From each Local Government Area, one community was randomly selected. The communities were Akanu-ukwu from Ohalia Local Government Area and Mgboko-amairi from Obingwa Local Government Area. From each community, three villages were randomly selected, the villages were Akanu, Abia, and Ndi-orieke, Mgboko, Umezi and Obete. In each village, 0 respondents were randomly selected, bringing the total to 300. Data were generated through the use of interview schedule. Two sets of interview schedule were carried out. The first set (pre-intervention) to determine the level of awareness/knowledge on HIV/AIDS of the respondents before exposure to media messages The second sets of interview schedule was carried out two weeks afler the preintervention exercise, to determine the level of awareness/knowledge of the respondents aller intervention, All the channels used carried the same messages on lii V/AIDS. 13oth descriptive statistics like percentages, charts, Likert-scale and inferential statistics like probit regression model were used in the data analyses. The major findings of this study revealed that the pattern of dissemination of Hl\'/AIDS messages in Abia State was not efficient. The results l'urthcr revealed the respondents level of awareness before and afler intervention in the study area. For Abia South, Mgboko village recorded l6% level of improvement, Umezi village, recorded 28% level of' improvement, and Ohete village recorded 20%. Also on level of awareness for Abia North, Akanu village recorded 20% the level of improvement, Abia village recorded I8°/o level of improvement, and Ndi-orieke village, recorded 26% level of improvement. The study also further revealed the respondents level of' knowledge on HlV/AIDS epidemic before and afler intervention in the study area. For Abia South, Mgboko village recorded 8% level of improvement, Umezi village, recorded 14% level of improvement and Obete village recorded 34% level of improvement For Abia North, Akanu village recorded 22% level of improvement, Ahia village, recorded 18% level of improvement and Ndi-orieke, recorded 26% level of improvement. On respondents level of knowledge, from Akanu recorded 18% level of improvement, Abia village recorded 10% level of improvement and finally Ndi-orieke recorded 24% level of improvement. On effectiveness of the media within the zones, media mix was the most effective niedium at 34% followed by interpersonal channel at 14% and mass media at 8%. The result for Ahia North indicates that media mix also the most effective at 24% followed by interpersonal at 18% and mass media at 10% Based on this findings, the study recommend that communication strategies need to be redirected in the State so that they give prominence to the creation ofcomniunicition environment vliili encourages interpersonal communication, dialogue and the use of more than one medium br reinforcement. In testing the hypotheses, the study indicated that, for Abia North, there was 1'iositive and significant relationship between the level of knowledge on I1IV/AIDS and sex (1% level of' significant), marital status at (I % level of significant) and education at (l% level of' significant) and also income at (1% level of significant) and cosmopoliteness was negative and significant at ]% level (1% level of significant). In Abia South, the result showed there was positive and significant relationship between the level of knowledge on HI V/AIDS and age at (l% level of' significant), education at (1% level of significant), cosmopoliteness was positively significant at (1% level of significant) while income was negatively significant at (l% level of significant). Even though all the channels studied were effective at varying percentages, the level of effectiveness should be of concern to communication planners as per the strategy to be adopted and the channel combination to use.