Investigating the Impact of Electronic Media on Disease Prevention

ADETONA, Yemisi Olajumoke Matriculation No:

Institute of Education University of Calabar Calabar, Nigeria

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background To The Study Diseases can be classified into two broad groups: infectious and noninfectious. Infectious diseases can spread from one person to another and are caused by microscopic organisms that invade the body. Noninfectious diseases are not communicable and do not have, or are not known to involve, infectious agents. Some diseases, such as the common cold, are acute, coming on suddenly and lasting for no more than a few weeks [1]. Other diseases, such as arthritis, are chronic, persisting for months or years, or recurring frequently. Diseases can either be fought or prevented [1]; but it is much less costly, in terms of both human suffering and economics, to prevent disease than to treat it. Public health services and medical professionals play critical roles in helping people avoid disease. In addition, each individual plays a vital role in protecting his or her personal health. Public health services are charged with protecting community health. Their activities include provision of adequate clean water and the sanitary disposal of sewage and other wastes [1, 2]. Food supplieson farms, at food processing plants, and in supermarkets and restaurantsare inspected for microorganisms. Pesticide spraying programs are undertaken to control populations of mosquitoes and other carriers of disease. Public facilities, such as schools and hospitals, are inspected to ensure that they meet appropriate standards of cleanliness and safety. Education and surveillance programs alert physicians and other medical workers to disease threats. Physicians, dentists, and other medical experts have a number of preventive tools at their disposal. Among the most effective are vaccines, which stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies against particular antigens. A vaccine may contain killed or weakened pathogens, parts of the pathogens, or modified toxins produced by the pathogens, which are strong enough to arouse the immune system to fight off new invading pathogens but not powerful enough to cause disease themselves. Thanks to vaccines, polio is rare today, smallpox has been eliminated, and diseases such as diphtheria and whooping cough, which once killed many young children, have largely been brought under control.

Regular medical check-ups are another important preventive tool. These help doctors to find disease in its early stages, when it is easier to treat and before it causes significant damage. For example, during a check-up a dentist will remove plaque, a sticky bacterial coating on teeth. Left undisturbed in hard-to-reach areas, such as between the teeth and along the gums, plaque can lead to periodontal disease, which can destroy the tissues that anchor the teeth in the mouth. Even the finest public health and medical services are of limited value to people who have poor health habits. Numerous studies have proven that physical health and longevity are linked to the following: eating a balanced diet, maintaining proper weight, exercising regularly, using condoms and limiting the number of sexual partners, avoiding tobacco, avoiding alcohol or consuming it in moderation, and receiving up-to-date counseling on healthy living (health education). People who fail to follow these guidelines increase their risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, AIDS, hepatitis, and other lethal diseases [2]. Teaching and counseling on healthy living can be achieved via many media. Mass media have been identified by many researchers as effective ways of informing people about various threats to their health. There are two types of mass media, print and electronic media. Print media are media that disseminate news and information through newspapers, magazines, journals, handbills and billboards [3]; whereas, electronic media, also known as e-media, are electronic devices or systems like Television, Radio receivers, Internet, and Global System for mobile Communication (GSM) lines, which are used to convey information from a point to another. E-media convey message from its source to its sink at fastest rate; and as such, they are most preferable media to inform people about the threats to their well-being. Consequently, there is need to investigate the effectiveness of e-media in controlling diseases in Nigeria using an area as a case study. 1.2 Statement of the Problem It has been established that prevention of disease is better than its cure. People will effectively prevent diseases from attacking members of their families and themselves, if they are well informed by appropriate health experts through appropriate medium. E-media have been identified as fastest and most common media of teaching and counseling people on how to live diseased-free life. It is therefore necessary to investigate an:

a)

e-medium that is appropriate in disseminating information on the cause,

effect and control of human diseases;

b)

effectiveness of identified e-medium in a) in disseminating the information

about threats of diseases to life;

c)

acceptability of identified e-medium in a) by people as an effective medium

that health experts can be employed to disseminate information on various threats to health

1.3

Aim and Objectives of the Study The aim of the study is to achieve the following objectives: a) To identify an appropriate e-medium that can be adopted by health experts to disseminate up-to-date information about human diseases prevention
b) To investigate the effectiveness of e-media in preventing diseases among people of

middle-age class in Oyo state;

c) To find out whether the people of middle-age group are using e-media optimally to

obtain up-to-date information on prevention of human diseases.

1.4

Research Questions To achieve the global goal of this study, the following research questions would be answered: a) Which e-medium is appropriate in disseminating information on the cause, effect and control of human diseases? b) Are the identified e-medium in a) effective in disseminating the information about threats of diseases to life?
c) Are the people accept the identified e-medium in a) as an effective medium that

health experts can be employed to disseminate information on various threats to health?

1.5

Limitation of the Study Human beings have various periods in life, like childhood, middle-age, and old-age periods. This study is centered on middle-age class alone. The middle-age people are vibrant, and they coordinate the childhood and old-age classes; and as such, if they receive adequate counseling and teaching on diseases control and put them into practice, the diseases would be effectively controlled in our society. This category of the class works in different areas of endeavors. In this study, the investigation is limited to the middle-age people that are teaching in public primary schools in Oyo state of Nigeria.

1.6

Significance of the Study The findings of this research would:

a)

identify the effective e-medium the government and other non-

governmental agencies can be utilized to convey information about modern approaches of preventing human diseases in our society to people; b) be of assistant to the various e-media operators to align their programs in

such a way that they would be serving the purposes they are designed for;
c)

be of assistant to the middle-age class to know various e-media that can be

used to obtaining information about health related issue; and those programs they suppose to be given special attention to, so as to live happily

1.7

Scope of the Study The study focuses on investigating the impact of e-media in preventing human diseases in our society. The investigation is limited to the middle-age people that are teaching in public primary schools in Oyo state of Nigeria. The area of case study is Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo state in the western part of Nigeria. In the area of the case study, five public primary schools were selected from different quarters of the local government.

1.8

Hypothesis There is no significant difference between the:

a) use of e-media to counsel and teach the people of middle-age group human diseases

prevention and the use print media to do the same;

b) health promotion awareness programs and other programs in e-media in our society c) attitude of people of the middle-age group to the health related programs and other

programs in e-media devices.

1.9

Definition of Terms Disease: Disease is any harmful change that interferes with the normal appearance, structure, or function of the body or any of its parts [3]. Disease control: Stoppage or wiping out of a particular form of ailment prevailing in an area. Mass media: Primary means by which information and entertainment are delivered to the public in virtually every nation around the world [3]. Internet: It is a computer-based global information system. The Internet is composed of many interconnected computer networks. Each network may link tens, hundreds, or even thousands of computers, enabling them to share information and processing power [3].

1.10

Organization of the Report This research is organized into five chapters and three appendices. Chapter 2 provides a review of the relevant literature on impact of e-media on prevention of human diseases. In chapter three the research methodology is presented. In the chapter, the various data obtained in the field, and internet are analyzed and discussed. The results obtained from analyzed data are discussed in chapter four. Lastly, the conclusions and suggestions for future research are stated in chapter five.

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2.0 Introduction To achieve the objectives of this study, a painstaking review of relevant literature in the area of using e-media in the human diseases control was done. The review of the findings of researchers is presented in this chapter. This chapter also presents the theoretical framework on e-media and prevention of human diseases. 2.1 Literature Review The first major evidence that childrens media consumption may be related to their body weight was credited to Dietz and Gortmaker (1993). The work of Gortmaker et.al (1996) revealed that the prevalence of obesity among 12-17 years olds increased by 2% for each additional hour of television viewed, even after controlling other variables such as prior obesity, race and social-economic status. And that 29% of the cases of obesity could be prevented by reducing the television viewing to 0 to 1 hour per week. Since then, several more studies have found a statically significant relationship between media use and rates of obesity. The aforementioned research focused on the link of e-media to negative health outcomes. There are some researches that have examined the potential health benefits related to emedia use. Lenhart et.al (2008) investigated Teens and social media. The study revealed that 28 percent of adolescents ages 12-17, who used the Internet, used it to access information on health, dieting, and physical exercise. However, Lenhart et.al (2008) did not establish the impact of that information on their health. Consequently, Farrell (2005) and Evans (2008) investigated differently, the impact of social marketing campaigns using emedia on health behaviors of adolescents. The two studies revealed that social marketing campaigns using e-media were successful in positively affecting health behaviors of adolescents. For instance, Farrell (2005) through his rigorous, quasi-experimental

evaluation found that the American Legacy Foundations truth mass media campaign was successful in reducing the number of youth who took up smoking, accounting for 22 percent of the total decline in teen smoking in the U.S. between 1999 and 2002. Evans (2008) evaluated the state-funded anti-smoking campaigns targeting adolescents in Massachusetts and Florida; and found out that such campaigns reduced teen smoking. A study of various researches on e-media and health education reveals that none of them identified the effective e-medium for dissemination of up-to-date information about human diseases and how they can be effectively prevented. It is therefore the objective of this study to investigate an effective e-medium that can be used to educate people of middleage class about human diseases and their preventions.

2.2 2.2.1

Theoretical Framework The effects of e-media on Adolescent well-Being Health and Safety Health and safety concerns potentially related to the use of e-media by children and adolescents are wide-ranging and have inspired a growing body of research. Concerns include both behavior-related maladies (obesity, violence, drug use) and threats to physical health (injury, cancer). In addition, some researchers have examined health benefits related to e-media use. Considerable evidence indicates that certain media influence violence and substance use. Social Development Increased access to cell phones and the Internet has vastly expanded options available to adolescents for interacting with their peers and, in the case of the Internet, with strangers. Options include texting, instant messaging, blogs, online gaming, e-mail and, increasingly, social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. Subrahmanyam and Greenfield (2008) concluded that, where relationships with others are concerned, adolescents use the Internet primarily to strengthen existing offline relationships with friends and romantic interests. They also indicate that online interaction with strangers (strangers at least in terms of their offline lives) can help relieve social anxiety and social isolation for some. There are also

negative social outcomes associated with the growth in the use of electronic media. These include: Bullying, and Sexual Predation. Education Research indicates that, while access to computers in the home is associated with better education outcomes, the effects of television use on education outcomes only appear once program content is taken into account. Television and Academic Performance: Children who watch excessive amounts of television score lower on standardized academic assessments than those who watch less television [23]. However, when researchers control for factors like IQ and socioeconomic status, this relationship generally disappears. Research that takes into account program content generally finds that educational programming is associated with positive academic outcomes while entertainment programs are negatively associated, though most of that research focuses on young children rather than adolescents [24]. Computers, the Internet and Academic Performance/Skills: While research relating home computer and Internet access to academic performance shows a clear, positive statistical relationship, few studies control adequately for background factors that may be driving the relationship [25]. However, home computer access has been associated in one study with higher reading test scores net of income and other background influences [26]. Home Internet use has also been shown to be positively related to reading scores and overall GPA among low-income children [27]. Computer literacy is increasingly acknowledged as a valuable and necessary workforce skill. Those entering the workforce with inferior or no skills in basic computer skills (word processing, spreadsheets, creating presentations) and Internet skills (research, communications) are at a distinct disadvantage in many cases. Some research indicates that such skills are generally better developed among youth from more advantaged backgrounds, even among those who have ready access to computers and the Internet.28

Closing the digital divide may, therefore, require strategies that go beyond equalizing access to the media itself.

2.2.2

Adolescents access to and use of e-media

References
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34 2007 estimates from Child Trends original analysis of October 2003 Current Population Survey data. 2003 estimates from U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey-October, Table 2A, downloaded November 21, 2008, www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/computer/2003.html 35 Child Trends, original analyses of October 2007 Current Population Survey. 36 Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., Smith, A., and Macgill, A. (2008) Writing, Technology, and Teens. Washington, D.C.: Per Internet and American Life Project. p 8. 37 Ibid. 38 Child Trends DataBank Watching Television indicator, retrieved September 14, 2008. www.childtrendsdatabank.org 39 Ibid. 40 National Survey of Childrens Health 2003. Downloaded from http://www.ncshdata.org . 41 US Department of Education, Institute for Educational Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 2000 Mathematics Assessment. Downloaded from www.nationsreportcard.gov 42 Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A., and Smith, A ( 2007) Teens and Social Media. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet and American Life Project. p 2.. 43 Lenhart, A., Arafeh, S., Smith, A., and Macgill, A. (2008) Writing, Technology, and Teens. Washington, D.C.: Per Internet and American Life Project. p. 7. 44 Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A., and Smith, A ( 2007) Teens and Social Media. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet and American Life Project. pp 19 and 26. 45 Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A., and Smith, A ( 2007) Teens and Social Media. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet and American Life Project, p. ii. 46 Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A., and Smith, A ( 2007) Teens and Social Media. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet and American Life Project. p 26. 47 Ibid. 48 Lenhart, A., Madden, M., Macgill, A., and Smith, A ( 2007) Teens and Social Media. Washington, D.C.: Pew Internet and American Life Project. Table on p 18. 49 Ibid. 50 For an excellent review of the major policy issues related to children and electronic media, see Jordon, A. (2008) Childrens media policy. Future of Children. Vol 18, No 1, 235-253.