大象传媒

Publication: October 2023

With funding support from United Nations Children鈥檚 Fund (UNICEF), 大象传媒 Media Action aimed to empower young Nigerians to make informed decisions about taking the COVID-19 vaccine and adopting preventative measures to protect against HIV and HPV. Young people reported that the programmes helped to improve their understanding of COVID-19, HIV and HPV. Outreach events inspired attendees to take the vaccines.

The UNICEF funded 鈥榊outh Co-creation Project鈥� sought to support ongoing efforts to further increase COVID-19 vaccination and promote the adoption of healthy lifestyle practices among young Nigerians. Working on-site in three focal states namely Ebonyi, Katsina and Rivers whilst broadcasting national and regional focused content on media stations across the country. The project delivered factual discussion programmes Talk Your Own (TYO) in English/Pidgin and Mu Tattauna (MTTN) in Hausa language, radio public service announcements in multiple languages, social media content for Facebook, outreach activities with in and out of school youths, and training for social media influencers and handlers.

Key findings

The research shows that:

• Reach: Of the U-reporters who participated in the poll in Rivers and Ebonyi states, 66% and 62% respectively have listened to Talk Your Own while 43% in Katsina state have listened to Mu Tattauna.
• Awareness: According to research participants, the programmes and outreach events helped to improve their awareness of where to access COVID-19 vaccines and HIV testing services.
• Knowledge: About 9 in 10 (91%) of U reporters across the project states who participated in the poll and have listened to the programmes said they learned lessons from listening to MTTN and TYO. Focus group participants mentioned learning lessons such as knowing the meaning of HPV and where to get health and lifestyle related services.
• Understanding risk: Respondents reported an improvement in their comprehension of the risks of COVID-19, HIV and HPV. This was attributed to the persuasive discussions in the radio programmes, digital content and outreach events.
• Stimulating discussion: U-reporters in Rivers (78%), Ebonyi (85%) and Katsina (66%) states who listened to the programmes reported that they discussed issues from the programmes (TYO and MTTN). Specifically, participants in focus groups said they discussed the COVID-19 Vaccine, HIV and HPV preventive measures and testing with friends, family and peers.
• Vaccine take up: There was a positive response to COVID-19 vaccination at the outreach events and some participants of the events shared that they took the vaccine at the venue.
• Extending reach: Social media influencers who received training on the project claimed that there was a significant boost in their confidence and capacity to use social media and other digital platforms. They reported that application of lessons learned contributed to increased following of their social media pages and audience engagement, management support as well as production of new content and modification of existing content focusing on health-related issues.

Key implications

The media outputs and outreach events contributed to improved understanding, promoted discussions, and changed perceptions about COVID-19 vaccine, HIV and HPV among young Nigerians in project focal states. It did this through engaging content, training and strategic collaborations. The programme delivery through radio, digital and outreach events ensured presentation of these health topics was in a manner that was both informative and engaging. Specifically, the programmes helped improve audiences鈥� understanding about:

• risks associated with COVID-19, HIV and HPV;
• preventive measures for HIV & HPV;
• access to COVID-19 vaccinations and HIV testing services.

The programmes also played a crucial role in fostering discussions on these health topics within social networks, emphasising the importance of sharing accurate and reliable information.

Leveraging on existing outputs and UNICEF鈥檚 campus storm events contributed to significant impact for a six-month long project.

Full details of the research can be found in the summary above. For any further information, please contact 大象传媒 Media Action鈥檚 Head of Research and Learning, Nigeria:anu.njamah@ng.bbcmediaaction.org.