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The radio: the tool for violence prevention among youths

2010; BMJ; Volume: 16; Issue: Suppl 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1136/ip.2010.029215.159

1475-5785

H E Swomen, Ogebe Onazi, Maria Teresa Valenti, Ime Akpan John,

Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research

Introduction Violence is a leading global public health problem and public health strategies had been advocated to address it. Radio is the predominant source of news and information for the African public. Radio may be a source to disseminate suggestions that may advance violence prevention especially in Nigeria. Objective To study the impact of using the radio in preventing injuries from violent conflict and to propose effective ways of prevention. Method A radio series Bringing Peace to the People on Silverbird Rhythm 93.7 Jos, Nigeria was launched in July 2009 and five youths participants randomly selected from eight areas previously affected by violent conflicts in Jos. The study was based on feedbacks via text messages, phone calls and interviews. Results are presented in simple percentage, frequencies and tables. Result 75% (n=30) believes that the radio is a means of reducing violent conflicts, 8% (n=3) believe the radio is not a tool in reducing violent conflict, 17% (n=7) are unsure. 75% (n=30) are frequent listeners of radio while 25% (n=10) are not. 18% believe in the possession of guns for self defence, 63% don't agree to possession of guns while 19% aren't sure. Conclusion From our results, radio is a useful tool in preventing violent conflict among youths. Listener feedback supports the premise that radio is useful means of violence prevention among youths. ‘Bringing Peace to the People’ is one of the first attempts using radio in Nigeria for beneficial goal of violence prevention.