CHAPTER
ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE
STUDY
How
vanquished the mankind feels in front of virus that geminates Acquired Immuno
Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)? As AIDS is no longer a public health issue but has
become a seriously socio-economic and developmental concern, there is an
immediate need to act with an utmost sense of urgency and seriousness. When a disease is a multifaceted
malady which impacts and affects a society, remedies have to be multi pronged.
More so, when the disease defies treatment, cure has to precede and be
synchronous with efforts to identify treatment. Such can be the process to
combat and control the menace of HIV/AIDS. Thus, media is one of the
instrumentalities which facilitates and gives a directional thrust to the efforts
to cure the disease if not to treat it. If medicine can treat HIV/AIDS, media
is capable to prevent it with an ultimate goal to cure it through its
capabilities to impart education through entertainment. Alubo, S. A. (2002)
Task
before visual and non-visual vehicles of media besides creating awareness and
providing knowledge base about HIV/AIDS is also to remove the misconceptions
about the transmission of the virus and the social ostracism of affected
persons.
Akin, O.
(1991) observes that lack
of information leads to denial and rejection of PLWHA at personal and societal
levels as the mankind, at large have not yet realized that even they are
carrying the risk of contracting HIV and thus AIDS is not an issue for
'others'.
Each and
every member of the society is oblivious that every body is vulnerable but the
misconception is that only those individuals who are immoral and societal
deviant are HIVAIDS affected. On one hand the stigma and discrimination
attached to the disease may keep away from seeking information or help is they
are infected and on the other hand, for some the belief that they cannot be
infected, promotes denial and keep them away from the realities of the disease
being allured by the false sense of security.
All such
issues are capable of being resolved when ignorance gives place to knowledge.
Another misconception is that HIV/AIDS incidence is escalating in high-risk
groups such as commercial sex workers (CSWs), truckers and those indulging in
immoral trade but strangely enough all of us fall under the high risk groups as
long as the restraints and precautions are accorded low priority matter of
choices. It is evidenced from the fact that from one reported HIV case in 1986,
the number of HIV positive people in India has already crossed the five million
mark.
The study
will appraises the level of youth awareness on HIV and media responsibility
using Iwo local government as a case study
1.2 PROBLEM
STATEMENT
The foremost
of the problem is the extent to which mass media able to educate and enlighten
the public especially youth on how to prevent HIV since
high level of illiteracy and low education has been attributed to the high
spread of the deadly disease.
This
project will also show the degree at which mass media enlightenment has gone
among the general population especially the youth of Iwo, local government,
Osun State on HIV/AIDS scourge.
Other
problem include but not limited to the level of effectiveness of mass media in
reducing the spread of the deadly disease, HIV/AIDS, by keeping large number of
the public aware of the danger inherent in HIV/AIDS.
1.3
OBJECTIVES OF THE
STUDY
i.
To know if youths in Iwo
local government are aware of HIV/ADIS?
ii.
To study how often youths
in Iwo local government are exposing to media
campaign on HIV/AIDS?
iii.
To examine the extent
which youths in Iwo local government are utilizing
media message on HIV/AIDS?
iv.
To examine whether youths
in Iwo local government know their HIV/AIDS
status?
v.
To know whether exposure
of youths in Iwo local government to mass media
messages translate into increased preventive measures on HIV/AIDS.
vi.
To examine whether mass
media HIV/AIDS awareness campaign has reduced
the spread of the virus.
vii.
To know which of the mass
media is most effective to communicate HIV/AIDS message to youths in Iwo local
government.
1.4
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i.
Are youths in Iwo local
government aware of HIV/ADIS?
ii.
How often youths in Iwo
local government are exposing to media campaign on HIV/AIDS?
iii.
To what extent are youths
in Iwo local government utilizing media message on HIV/AIDS?
iv.
Do youth of Iwo local
government know their HIV/AIDS status?
v.
Do exposure of youths in
Iwo local government to mass media translate into increased preventive measure
on HIV/AIDS?
vi.
Has Mass media crusade
against HIV/AIDS awareness reduce the spread of the virus among youths in Iwo
local government?
vii.
Which of the mass media is
the most effective to communicate HIV/AIDS message to youths in Iwo local
government?
1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study
will benefits lots of people and group to know the level of public awareness
especially among youth concerning HIV/AIDS.
Youth
will see the reasons to know their HIV/AIDS status and how to abstain from it.
Also,
government will at the end of this research know the method i.e the appropriate
media to communicate HIV/AIDS message to the people.
It will
form part of the academic work that future researchers can use as a reference
point especially those that will be investigating on the area similar to this
research.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The
research which focuses on the appraisal of Nigeria Youth Awareness on HIV and
Media Responsibility has been narrowed down to the Youth in Iwo Local
government due to time available to carryout this research. The level of
literature materials available, fund and other factors that will not only make
it possible to study all the youth in Nigeria.
Iwo local
government in State of Osun will be visited to study the demography of the
population such as the education, age, religion e.t.c so as to know how to
structure the research tool.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Appraisal: This refers to the assessment of quality, importance or value of
mass media towards creating a better awareness to the youth of iwo Local
government area of Osun state.
Mass Media: These are means of getting message across to a wider and larger
audience resides in different locations. Such as: radio, television, newspaper,
magazine and to the recent mobile phone and internet because both can as well
send message directly to millions of users.
Awareness: It relates to knowledge about and understanding of HIV/AIDS and
its causes in society especially among the youth in Iwo local government.
HIV: It stands for Human Immune Virus
AIDS: It stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; it kills the
body cells and destroys body immunity, thus allowing other minor ailments.
Media Responsibility: It
refers to the role or functions espected of mass media (radio, television,
newspaper, magazine, internet) to play in educating and enlighten the people on
how to reduce and prevent the deadly virus called HIV in society.
