Framing of Maternal and Child Healthcare Issues in Nigerian Newspapers

Authors

  • Raheemat Adeniran Lagos State University
  • Olujimi Kayode Lagos State University
  • Lai Oso Lagos State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31211/interacoes.n37.2019.a2

Keywords:

maternal health, child health, framing analysis, Nigeria

Abstract

The mass media are important for wide dissemination of health information. The frame of reference adopted in the reportage of health issues tends to influence people’s perception towards health related issues. Studies examining framing of health issues have found the media wanting in their reportage of health. This study extends the frontier of framing analysis of health coverage in the media by examining framing of maternal and child healthcare (MCH) issues in Nigerian newspapers. Using the content analyses method, two categories of frames — public health frame, and coping versus alarm message frame — were examined in the study. Four national newspapers were purposively sampled over a 12-month period resulting in the analysis of 1,235 MCH-related editorial items. The study found minimal adoption of public health frame with only 12% adoption rate, and dominant adoption of coping frame over alarm frame with rare combination of both. The findings reflect the implication of greater reliance on official sources for health stories in the media, resulting in lack of context in reported stories to aid proper understanding of issues. The study calls for better framing of health related issues in the media to generate appropriate attention to possibly drive development in the health sector.

Author Biographies

Olujimi Kayode, Lagos State University

Olujimi Kayode is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Communication, Lagos State University. He holds a Ph.D degree in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos. He was formerly Acting Director, Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He has published in both local and international academic journals in the areas of Journalism studies, Health Communication, and Political Communication.

Lai Oso, Lagos State University

Prof Lai Oso is a Professor of Mass Communication at the School of Communication, Lagos State University. He obtained a Ph.D degree in Mass Communication from University of Leicester, England in 1987. He was the Dean of the school between 2011 and 2015 and current President, Association of Communication Scholars and Professionals of Nigeria (ACSPN). He has worked in various capacities with many national and international organisations including UNESCO, UNICEF, among others. He has published in both local and international academic journals in the areas of Political Communication, Journalism, Public Relations and Development Communication

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Published

2019-12-31

How to Cite

Adeniran, R., Kayode, O., & Oso, L. (2019). Framing of Maternal and Child Healthcare Issues in Nigerian Newspapers. Interações: Sociedade E As Novas Modernidades, (37), 34–57. https://doi.org/10.31211/interacoes.n37.2019.a2

Issue

No. 37

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2019 Raheemat Adeniran, Olujimi Kayode, Lai Oso

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