Timing of malaria messages for target audience on radio airwaves

TY - JOUR

T1 - Timing of malaria messages for target audience on radio airwaves

AU - Batwala, Vincent

AU - Magnussen, Pascal

AU - Mirembe, Justine

AU - Mulogo, Edgar

AU - Nuwaha, Fred

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - Background: Due to the limitations of face-to-face communication to teach families how to manage, control and prevent malaria, national and local malaria programmes try to reach people through the radio. However, information regarding the timing of radio messages for the target audiences is lacking. Methods: Within a large-scale trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00565071), data regarding the time at which people listen to the radio was collected from 1,628 consenting outpatients (and caregivers for minors) attending six rural government primary level health care centres in Bushenyi and Iganga districts of Uganda from February to July 2011. Results: The majority of households, 1,099 (67.5%) owned a radio. The majority, 1,221 (86.3%), participants had heard about malaria from the radio. Some participants started listening to the radio at about 06.00 East African local time (EAT). The peak hours at which people listen to the radio are 12.00-14.00 and 18.00-23.00 local time. The median time of listening to the radio by men is 20.00 (inter-quartile range (IQR): 18.30-21.00) and women 19.30 (IQR: 13.00-20.30). Conclusion: Planners of malaria radio interventions need to broadcast their messages within the two peak EAT of 12.00-14.00 and 18.00-23.00.

AB - Background: Due to the limitations of face-to-face communication to teach families how to manage, control and prevent malaria, national and local malaria programmes try to reach people through the radio. However, information regarding the timing of radio messages for the target audiences is lacking. Methods: Within a large-scale trial (Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00565071), data regarding the time at which people listen to the radio was collected from 1,628 consenting outpatients (and caregivers for minors) attending six rural government primary level health care centres in Bushenyi and Iganga districts of Uganda from February to July 2011. Results: The majority of households, 1,099 (67.5%) owned a radio. The majority, 1,221 (86.3%), participants had heard about malaria from the radio. Some participants started listening to the radio at about 06.00 East African local time (EAT). The peak hours at which people listen to the radio are 12.00-14.00 and 18.00-23.00 local time. The median time of listening to the radio by men is 20.00 (inter-quartile range (IQR): 18.30-21.00) and women 19.30 (IQR: 13.00-20.30). Conclusion: Planners of malaria radio interventions need to broadcast their messages within the two peak EAT of 12.00-14.00 and 18.00-23.00.

U2 - 10.1186/1475-2875-11-283

DO - 10.1186/1475-2875-11-283

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22905781

SN - 1475-2875

VL - 11

JO - Malaria Journal

JF - Malaria Journal

IS - 283

ER -