Communicating Health Issues to the Rural Folks: The Role of the Community Information Centre. A Study of the Emmanuel Information Centre in Ofoase in the Asante-Akim South District

Abstract

It is believed that Community Information Centres have come to stay. In their duty of informing, educating and entertaining the local people, plentiful of these Community Information Centres have been communicating health in their various communities. This study was done to assess how Community Information Centres communicate health issues to the rural Ghanaian. The findings did show that Emmanuel Information Centre, the facility chosen for the study, follows some of the theoretical underpinnings (Media Advocacy Theory, Agenda Setting Theory, and Diffusion of Innovation Theory) reviewed under the study. The hard fact is that the communal people that are the recipients of this health communication are not involved in the communication process and the health programmes that are communicated to them. Another fact that came to bare is that Community Information Centres, with emphasis on Emmanuel Information Centre, make noise and create a sort of nuisance to the communal populace.