MEDIA Campaigns and Hepatitis B Awareness in North-West Nigeria: (2019–2023)

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major public health concern in Nigeria, with the North-West geopolitical zone bearing one of the highest disease burdens in the country (NAIIS, 2018). Despite increasing government- and donor-funded media activities between 2019 and 2023, public awareness, vaccination uptake, and testing rates in the region remain disappointingly low. This study assessed the effectiveness of these media campaigns on Hepatitis B awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural outcomes among residents of Kano, Kaduna, and Katsina States.A mixed-methods design was adopted, integrating a quantitative survey of 387 respondents drawn from twelve wards across the three states using a multi-stage sampling technique, with twelve in-depth interviews conducted among health communicators, media producers, and public health officials, as well as a content analysis of thirty campaign materials, including radio jingles, television spots, billboards, and social media posts aired during the study period. The sample size was determined using Yamane's (1967) formula. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlation in SPSS version 26, while qualitative data were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke (2006). Findings revealed moderate general awareness (74.1%), with radio (40.9%) and television (25.9%) serving as the dominant information channels. Campaign exposure was strongly correlated with knowledge of transmission routes (r = 0.54, p < 0.001) but only weakly correlated with actual vaccination uptake (r = 0.21, p = 0.013). The study concludes that the effectiveness of media campaigns in North-West Nigeria depends not only on broadcast frequency but also on the strategic alignment of channel, language, source credibility, and community structures.