ERIC Number: EJ1388734
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Oct
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0268-1153
EISSN: EISSN-1465-3648
Available Date: N/A
Measuring the Effect of Interpersonal Communication on Awareness and Knowledge of COVID-19 among Rural Communities in Eastern Nigeria
Ezeah, Gregory; Ogechi, Eucharia Okwumba; Ohia, Nkiru Christiana; Celestine, Gever Verlumun
Health Education Research, v35 n5 p481-489 Oct 2020
Awareness and knowledge have been identified as essential requirements to successfully combat the global threat which COVID-19 currently poses. Rural communities are particularly at risk because of their low socio-economic status and high illiteracy level. There is currently uncertainty regarding how to effectively raise awareness about the pandemic and educate rural communities about it. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of interpersonal communication in awareness creation and knowledge about COVID-19 among rural communities in a developing country. We tested three hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The sample size was made up 470 participants. The questionnaire served as the instrument for data collection. In the analysis of data, both descriptive and inferential statistics were used. The results demonstrate that interpersonal communication is effective in creating awareness about COVID-19 among rural communities. It was also found that interpersonal communication was effective in improving knowledge about the pandemic among rural communications. We explored the implications of these findings on healthcare delivery.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, COVID-19, Pandemics, Rural Areas, Interpersonal Communication, Access to Information, Program Effectiveness, Knowledge Level
Oxford University Press. Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP, UK. Tel: +44-1865-353907; Fax: +44-1865-353485; e-mail: jnls.cust.serv@oxfordjournals.org; Web site: http://her.oxfordjournals.org/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Nigeria
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A