Film in Health Campaigns and Reduction in Incidence of COVID-19 in Nigeria: A Thematic Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The main thrust of this study was to explore the efficacy of films in instigating behavioral change in campaigns against COVID-19 in Nigeria. Specifically, the study sought to establish the critical role that films play in promoting the key messages of COVID-19 health campaigns and to explicate the approach in which the films used in anti-COVID-19 health campaigns contribute to behavioral change among the population with a view to reducing further incidence of COVID-19. Cultivation Theory and Health Belief Model provided the theoretical underpinning to this study. To achieve the set objectives, the study adopted a qualitative research design where thematic (content) analysis and critical discourse analysis were deployed to review and discuss the prevalent COVID-19 preventive and containment themes, appeals, and strategies embedded in the films used in anti-COVID-19 campaigns. The study focused on three categories of films: anti-COVID-19 documentary films; short feature films; and animated films for kids endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and the Nigeria Ministry of Health under the aegis of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. Each of these categories was reviewed, encompassing a total of nine films —three from each category. A thematic analytical review of some of the films deployed in the COVID-19 health campaigns revealed that the films were loaded with health-related themes, appeals, and strategies that, when considered holistically, aimed at influencing or changing people’s behavior with a view to containing and reducing the risk for further incidence of the disease.