MEDIA HEALTH MASSAGES AND ADOPTION OF SAFE SEX PRACTICES AMONGST THE DEAF AND MUTE IN UYO

1.1 Background to the Study

The use of media in promoting awareness about health and changing the behavior of individuals has become more important in today’s society. Media health campaigns refer to a form of communication which aims at communicating health messages to promote awareness and behavioral changes towards healthy behaviors. Using media tools such as radio, television, newspapers, social media sites, websites, and community communications, many health campaigns have played an important role in raising awareness about different kinds of health matters including sexual and reproductive health issues.. Recently, there have been many efforts by governments, international bodies, and health agencies in increasing their application of media campaigning for ensuring safe sex to lower cases of STIs, HIV infection, unwanted pregnancies, and many more reproductive health problems. Many studies have indicated that health communication campaigns can contribute to increased knowledge levels, formation of positive attitudes, and behavior change of the audience when information provided through communication is easy to access and culturally appropriate (Akuiyibo et al., 2021).

Safe sex practices are actions that help to lower the chance of getting sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy without planning. Some of safe sex practices are: 1) abstinence 2) using condom properly and continually 3) having only one partner 4) doctors examination 5) getting tested for HIV 6) following sexual health education lessons. Although, the spread of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections is high among young people and those most at risk, nowadays the adoption of safe sex practices has become a global public health concern. As a result, health communication programs have attempted to raise consciousness and at the same time, to motivate responsible sexual behaviour in various sections of the community. But, the success of these programs will be determined by how well the target group can get hold of, comprehend and make use of the information given..

People with disabilities remain one of the most ignored groups in health communication. Among them, deaf and mute persons stand out for being specially neglected in health programs. On top of the unique communication needs of Deaf and Mute, they also happen to be a rather silent, unseen and unheard group. Though there are today more ways to access health information than ever before, most of the the content is designed for those who can hear and depends heavily on oral communication. So, deaf and mute persons may face serious difficulties in obtaining sexual and reproductive health information.

Those communication barriers insufficiently convey health-related information and restrict the persons with disability's opportunities to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health. In developing countries where disability-inclusive communication strategies are very scarce, the problem shows very dramatically. Per the World Health Organization, persons with disabilities are still facing considerable disparities in their access to health information and services, a situation that results in their suffering from worse health conditions compared to that of the general population (World Health Organization, 2022).

There is an increasing recognition in the world regarding the need to provide universal access to sexual and reproductive health information and services for everyone, including those with disabilities. The World Health Organization mentioned that the achievement of universal health coverage involves the incorporation of services related to sexual and reproductive health that can be accessed by marginalized and vulnerable groups (World Health Organization, 2022). Moreover, the “leave no one behind” concept, which is the core of SDGs, points to the fact that people with disabilities must be provided with the same access to health services as other people. However, despite these global efforts, data suggests that deaf people still encounter many problems in acquiring sexual and reproductive health information..

Various studies have been carried out in Africa, and there have been findings that show that the deaf population has lower levels of reproductive health knowledge as compared to the non-deaf population. For example, in Ghana, several studies revealed that many deaf females lack knowledge about contraception and pregnancy because of lack of access to adequate sources of health information (Nketsia et al., 2022). Another study in Ghana has shown that the deaf people have limited access to sexual and reproductive health services and are not satisfied with the communication strategies used in such organizations (Mprah et al., 2022). These results indicate that communication is a serious obstacle to the delivery of reproductive health information.

The topic of sexual and reproductive health status of deaf people has recently been gaining much attention in Nigeria. While many campaigns about HIV/AIDS and reproductive health have been conducted via mass media, there is a suspicion that deaf and mute people tend to be left out of those campaigns. The research conducted among deaf secondary school pupils in Nigeria showed poor knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issues, lots of wrong ideas about sexually transmitted diseases, and frequent engagement in unsafe sexual practices. According to this study, most respondents were unaware of how to prevent themselves from sexually transmitted infections, some of them had suffered from sexual violence, early sexual initiation, and unwanted pregnancy (Idiong et al., 2021).

The vulnerability of deaf and mute individuals to risky sexual behaviours is further compounded by social and cultural factors. In many communities, misconceptions persist regarding the sexuality of persons with disabilities, leading to their exclusion from sexual health discussions and educational programmes. Some people erroneously assume that individuals with disabilities are not sexually active and therefore do not require sexual and reproductive health education. Such assumptions contribute to the neglect of deaf persons in health communication planning and implementation. Consequently, many deaf individuals rely on informal sources of information, including peers and personal experiences, which may not always provide accurate or comprehensive knowledge about safe sex practices. This situation increases their susceptibility to misinformation and unhealthy sexual behaviours.

It should be noted that the question of the sexual and reproductive health status of deaf persons has started attracting much attention in Nigeria lately. Although numerous campaigns relating to HIV/AIDS and reproductive health have been undertaken through mass media, there is an assumption that deaf and mute individuals are often neglected in such campaigns. The study carried out among deaf secondary school students in Nigeria revealed poor understanding of sexual and reproductive health issues, many misconceptions about sexually transmitted diseases, and regular involvement in risky sexual behavior. As it was established during the research, the majority of participants did not know how to protect themselves from sexually transmitted infections; some of them had been subjected to sexual abuse and early sexual debut (Idiong et al., 2021).

Another major concern is the health literacy of deaf people.Health literacy means the capability of a person to get handle comprehend, and use health information that brings about a good health state. Deaf people's low health literacy has been found to result from communication barriers and their limited ways of accessing the educational materials that are disability-friendly. Without a sufficient knowledge of sexual health, it is almost impossible for a person to assess the risks, negotiate safer sexual practices, or find the right health services at the right time. This problem emphasizes the need for media health campaigns that are tailored to raising health literacy among the deaf and mute communities..

In particular talking about Rivers State and OBIO/AKPOR LGA, this is an avenue that the issue can't be overlooked. OBIO/AKPOR Local Government is among the most developed and highly populated local government areas in Rivers State. In fact, it is characterized by a lot of socio-economic development, an increase in media exposure, and the growing number of young people. Besides, residents have direct access to health information mainly through radio broadcasts, television programs, social media platforms, and community-based campaigns. Despite this, it is not certain if the deaf and mute people in the area have the same access to these health messages and if such exposure leads to the practice of safe sex. In other words, with the increasing use of digital media and the coming of more health promotion initiatives via the media, it is necessary to find out how far media health campaigns are reaching the deaf and mute population and affecting their sexual health behaviours.

Recently, the issue of adolescents with hearing impairment being left behind in HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health information in Nigeria was brought to light by two research works on the topic. Some researchers emphasized that adolescents with hearing impairment are vulnerable to sexual health risks but usually they are excluded from HIV preventive interventions without any further consideration for their needs. They stressed that communication to such individuals and, in general, people with disabilities, should be tailored to their specific situations to be the most effective (Adebayo et al. 2023).

The importance of studying the media health campaigns and use of safe sex among the deaf and mute population of Obio/Akpor is rooted in the need to fill the knowledge gaps concerning the communication strategies that include the deaf and mute in their efforts. The study of the connection between exposure to health campaigns and sexual behavior among the deaf population will help to get important insights on the effectiveness of the current communication strategies. The results of the research will be helpful for the stakeholders in developing more effective strategies. Finally, increased access to information about the sexual and reproductive health among the deaf and mute population will result in better health status and protection from sexually transmitted diseases..

1.2  STATE OF THE PROBLEM

With an increase in sexually transmitted diseases like the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) along with concerns about unwanted pregnancies and reproductive health issues, the need to run campaigns via different media for safe sex behavior is necessary. Various efforts have been made by the government as well as nongovernmental organizations in the area of sexual and reproductive health messaging through media. The aim of these campaigns is to create awareness about the significance of practicing safe sexual behavior like condom use, getting health checks up and conducting HIV tests. Although there have been mixed results from these campaigns within the general population, it seems that the efforts might be falling short when it comes to some specific populations especially those who are suffering from hearing and speech impairments.

The deaf and mute community is affected by specific communication challenges which make it hard for them to access health information that is provided using traditional media platforms. Most media-based health education campaigns depend highly on oral communication through radio, television programs, public speeches, and other forms of communication that may not be accessible to people with hearing and speech impairment problems. Even in situations where health education messages are aired using visual media platforms, the lack of sign language translations or other disability-oriented modes of communication will affect the impact of the message to the deaf audience. As a result, deaf and mute people may have insufficient information regarding sexual and reproductive health matters, which puts them at risk of health hazards..

While there is more advocacy for incorporating people with disabilities into health communication strategies, findings from previous studies reveal that people who are deaf still encounter challenges while trying to access information on sexual and reproductive health matters. According to some researches, many people who cannot hear have less sexual health knowledge compared to those who can hear and mostly rely on informal sources of information that can be unreliable and insufficient. This raises issues on how well current media health campaigns are able to reach people who are deaf and mute and promote safe sex practices among them.

In Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, various media health campaigns on HIV/AIDS prevention, reproductive health awareness, and sexual health education are frequently delivered through the media like television, radio, and social media. Nonetheless, there is no much evidence showing whether deaf and mute people are able to access such health information in the region. It can be argued that the absence of disability-friendly communication strategy within most health campaigns has left an information gap that makes it difficult for deaf and mute people to make decisions on sexual and reproductive health issues..

Besides, there have been many studies on media health campaigns and their impact on the general public. Yet, only a handful have looked at deaf and mute persons, Mainly when talking about Rivers State. This lack of information makes it difficult for policymakers, health communicators, and public health practitioners to come up with targeted programs for the deaf and mute community. Without proper data on the relationship between media health campaigns and safe sex practices adoption among the deaf and mute, promoting inclusive health communication may be futile.

This is why this research is going to look at whether media health campaigns influence the adoption of safe sex practices by the deaf and mute in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. It wants to find out if exposure to media health messages impacts sexual health knowledge and behaviour of deaf and mute persons Much and it also wants to point out any communication gaps that may prevent the effectiveness of such campaigns. The results of this research should offer valuable insights for the planning of inclusive and accessible health communication strategies that can improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes of persons with hearing and speech impairments..