Audience Reception of Health Communication Campaigns on Television in Delta State

This study examines audience reception of television health communication campaigns in Delta State, South South Nigeria, assessing how viewers interpret, trust, and act upon health messages broadcast through state and national television. Health communication campaigns have been widely deployed to address Delta State's public health challenges including malaria, HIV/AIDS, and maternal mortality, but their effectiveness in generating knowledge change and behavioural action requires empirical validation. This study uses a focus group research design, conducting eight focus group discussions with 64 participants stratified by gender, age, and urban-rural location in Warri, Asaba, and Ughelli. Groups view and discuss selected health campaign clips from Delta Broadcasting Service and NTA Warri. Reception dimensions assessed include comprehension, cultural relevance, trust in message sources, emotional engagement, and self-reported intention to change behaviour. Findings reveal that campaigns featuring Urhobo and Itsekiri language versions receive significantly higher comprehension and cultural resonance scores than English-only equivalents. Celebrity endorsement in campaigns is highly valued among urban youth participants but generates scepticism among rural older adults who question celebrity sincerity. Medical professional sources are consistently rated as most credible. Campaigns that dramatise local community scenarios outperform those with generic, nationally produced content. Barriers to health behaviour change persist despite strong campaign comprehension, particularly for HIV-related stigma and traditional birth preference. The study concludes that culturally contextualised, locally produced health campaigns in indigenous languages are most effective for Delta State audiences and recommends reorientation of public health campaign production toward community-specific content.

Keywords: audience reception, health communication, television campaigns, Delta State, culturally relevant messaging.