DIGITAL MEDIA AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ON HEALTH RISKS OF SMOKING AMONG DRIVERS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Smoking is the inhalation and exhalation of fumes of burning tobacco and other dangerous nicotine substances that endanger health. It is also a learned behaviour capable of causing addiction. The study examined civic engagement through digital media on health risks of smoking among drivers in Onitsha, Anambra State. The study focused on drivers of registered Mass Transit companies:  Eastern Mass Transit and Onitsha South Mass Transit. The study was anchored on two theories: grounded theory of smoking decision which explains pre-and-post effects of smoking quitting, and mediatisation theory which examines the long-term structural change in the role of media in culture and society. The study adopted a survey of drivers of select Mass Transit companies in Anambra State. This was to ensure that these drivers were studied in their varying work atmospheres concerning smoking. Findings of the study showed that drivers of both companies make effective use of digital media for information on the dangers of smoking while driving and erring drivers are adequately penalised. Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that media messages on the dangers of smoking tobacco or other dangerous substances on the wheel should be sustained. It equally recommended psychological tests on drivers before recruitment.