Cultural sensitivity in communication campaigns for oral polio vaccination among muslims in Northern Nigeria

• Main Author: Ahmad, Gambo Ibrahim
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English; English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: RA Public aspects of medicine
• Online Access: https://etd.uum.edu.my/9363/1/depositpermission-not%20allow_s900020.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/9363/2/s900020_01.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/9363/3/s900020_02.pdf; https://etd.uum.edu.my/9363/
• Institution: Universiti Utara Malaysia

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched in 1988 to eradicate poliomyelitis. However, the global campaign encounters rejection or non-compliance mostly among Muslims in Nigeria due to the absence of cultural sensitivity in the oral polio vaccination campaign. This study explores how culturally sensitive oral polio vaccination campaign strategy can be developed to tackle rejection among Muslim parents. The study, therefore, adopts a qualitative method with a focus on the phenomenological approach to collect data through in-depth interviews and focus group in order to understand the informants’ lived experiences, make meanings and describe the phenomenon. In the in-depth interview, 12 key informants comprising of physicians, community leaders and Islamic clerics are selected using purposive sampling. In addition, 19 informants for the focus groups are also selected among the Muslim parents with children eligible for polio vaccination in northern Nigeria's states of Bauchi, Kaduna and Kano. The study offers an in-depth understanding of oral polio vaccination campaign rejection that despite years of implementing the programme in Nigeria there are people that are not yet convinced about the philosophy of the global campaign to eradicate poliomyelitis. In addition, the inclusion of cultural sensitivity in polio vaccination campaign strategy and messages will help to remove misconceptions and rumours about the oral polio vaccination safety and efficacy in Nigeria. The findings also reveal the need to use both mass media channels and interpersonal communication strategy for oral polio vaccination campaign. The findings contribute to the existing knowledge and theory on cultural sensitivity, health belief model and theory of planned behaviour in health communication by providing understandings of the rejection of oral polio vaccination campaign. A cultural sensitivity model of health communication is proposed to address the issue of rejection of Immunisation. In addition, this study recommends for the involvement of the Islamic clerics as community mobilisers to help educate the Muslim parents to accept the polio vaccination for their children.