| Abstract: |
Maternal health is a critical issue that continue to raise concern in public health
globally. The pivotal role played by regular antenatal care for medical checkups
during pregnancy cannot be overemphasized, as it helps in reducing maternal
mortality and morbidity as well as improving safe delivery. Thus, this study assessed
the effectiveness and influence of Midas Radio's Health Issue and Voice FM's Let's
Talk Health Programme in promoting regular medical checkups among pregnant
women in Ado-Ekiti. The paper was anchored on social cognitive theory. The paper
employed descriptive survey, using quantitative data analysis with questionnaire as
instrument of data collection. Slovin's formular was employed for sample size, as all
the registered pregnant womenin Ado-Ekiti served as the population to provide the
necessary data on the topic According to Ade-Ojo, Babatola, Ojo, et. al. (2023),
annual number of registered pregnant women in Ado-Ekiti is around 20,000. The
objectives of the study were to find out the level of awareness and exposure to Midas
FM's “Health Issue” and Voice FM s “Let's Talk Health” among pregnant women in
Ado-Ekiti, examine the influence of the programmes on their decisions to go for
regular medical checkups, and compare the effectiveness of Midas FM's “Health
Issue” and Voice FM's “Let's Talk Health” in promoting regular checkups among
pregnant women in Ado-Ekiti. Findings from this study is significant for media contents evaluation, improving community engagement, and to strengthen
partnerships between media outlets, public health systems, and policymakers. The
paper concludes that Midas Radio 90.5FM' 'Heath Issue' and Voice 89.9FM's “Let's
Talk Health” programmes motivated the pregnant women to attend antenatal care
for medical checkups during pregnancy. Also, it provided useful information about
regular medical checkups during pregnancy; as it influenced the pregnant women to
make the right health decisions during their pregnancy. The study recommends need
for more awareness about the efforts of radio channel on maternal healthcare
programmes among pregnant women in Ado-Ekiti. Additionally, programme
producers should collaborate with healthcare professionals to ensure the accuracy
and relevance of broadcast content, while also incorporating interactive segments
that allow pregnant women to ask questions and share experiences. |
