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Publication date: August 2016
The project
After six polio-free years Somalia experienced a new outbreak of the wild poliovirus in April 2013. In response, UNICEF launched countrywide polio vaccination campaigns, and in December 2013, 大象传媒 Media Action began supporting the agency by producing the radio magazine programme (Drops for Life), which aired weekly on the 大象传媒 Somali Service.
The first 16 episodes of the programme featured information, personal stories and discussions related to polio and its prevention, with the aim of mitigating the spread of the virus by creating a demand for the vaccination services that UNICEF was providing on the ground.
However, stigma towards vaccination in Somalia was not limited to polio. Misconceptions had developed around the side effects of some vaccines, resulting in Somali people believing that vaccines were either not effective, or actively made children sick. As a result, children were often not vaccinated, or not fully vaccinated, against preventable illnesses.
Following listeners鈥� positive response to the first phase of Dhibcaha Nolosha, a second phase of the programme was broadcast with 26 new episodes. It continued to focus on barriers to polio vaccination, but also addressed what was preventing the uptake of a broader range of vaccinations that are crucial for children under five years.
Research methodology
Research was conducted in April 2014 and September 2015, as the last episodes of Dhibcaha Nolosha were being broadcast, to assess the impact of each phase of the programme and the extent to which the project had achieved its objectives.
Thirty focus group discussions were held during the first phase, and 20 in the second phase across Somaliland, Puntland and South Central Somalia among both listeners and non-listeners. The research participants were all people with a major influence on children鈥檚 healthcare (mothers, fathers and grandmothers) and community health workers.
Key findings
Improved understanding of polio:
- After the first phase, listeners reported that their understanding of causes, transmission and consequences of polio had improved as a result of listening to the programme. Following phase two, this understanding had extended to other vaccine-preventable diseases.
- In both phases, listeners reported that the programme encouraged them to shift some misbeliefs about vaccination, and successfully persuaded them to vaccinate their children or give them booster vaccines.
- In both phases, health workers said that the people they vaccinated told them that listening to Dhibcaha Nolosha had motivated them to visit the health centre. Health workers also reported that the programme helped lessen mistrust in vaccination teams.
Benefits of a multi-format approach:
- The multi-format approach catered to different tastes and meant that listeners perceived the programme as both entertaining and educational.
- Personal stories of people affected by vaccine-preventable diseases 鈥渢ouched鈥� audiences, providing evidence of risks and motivating them to protect their children. The drama segment - added to Dhibcaha Nolosha in the second phase as a result of feedback from the first assessment - was a favourite part for many listeners.
- Respected interviewees, particularly doctors and religious leaders, who spoke about the importance of vaccinations, played a key part in building the programme鈥檚 credibility. This emerged as important in both phases.
Implications
The findings from both assessments show that the radio programme increased understanding of polio and vaccine-preventable diseases as well as understanding of the benefits of routine vaccinations. It addressed misbeliefs and mistrust, and led audiences to vaccinate their children.
Since Dhibcaha Nolosha went on air in 2013, the number of health communication activities has grown steeply. This was noticed by participants in the second assessment, who described an 鈥渁wareness revolution鈥�, with a variety of immunisation information sources operating simultaneously on different media and non-media platforms. As a result, both listeners and non-listeners described a 鈥渃umulative effect鈥� of learning, a positive indication of the success of the multi-faceted mobilisation project.
Interviewing respected and credible figures such as religious leaders and doctors, as well as featuring touching personal stories in a drama format, have proved to be effective and instructive for future programme design.
There is still scope for the programmes to reach remote populations. Suggestions include broadcasting on remote local stations and at different times, establishing listening groups among those with lower access to the radio, such as older women, and recording Dhibcaha Nolosha in a variety of local Somali accents, dialects and stories relevant to the different groups and locations.