The Effectiveness of Community Radio in Promoting Drug Abuse Awareness: The Case of Tanzania Southern Zone

Khambi, Florence Bahati (2025) The Effectiveness of Community Radio in Promoting Drug Abuse Awareness: The Case of Tanzania Southern Zone. Masters thesis, The Open University of Tanzania.

PDF - Submitted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (295kB)

Abstract

The study explored the effectiveness of community radio in promoting awareness about drug abuse in Southern Tanzania, focusing on three objectives: (i) the role of community radio in creating awareness, preventing drug abuse, and influencing attitudes and behaviours; (ii) the frequency of drug abuse-related programmes by community radio stations; and (iii) the impact of these programmes in educating the community. Using a mixed-methods approach with a sequential explanatory design, 384 participants (324 audience members, 60 media practitioners) were involved. Based on Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977), quantitative data obtained from questionnaires and qualitative data collected through interviews were employed. Findings revealed that community radio significantly increases awareness of drug abuse prevention (Mean = 3.53, SD = 1.35), though its impact on altering attitudes and behaviours is moderate (Mean = 3.05, SD = 1.07) and inconsistent. Community radio stations produced drug abuse-related programmes infrequently (Mean = 3.00, SD = 0.869) despite an increase in awareness events (Mean = 4.00, SD = 0.770). While these programmes raised awareness of drug abuse risks, they struggled to bring about long-term changes in attitudes and behaviours. Personal storytelling and testimonies were the most engaging methods, whereas expert interviews lacked the emotional connection needed to fully engage the audience. The study concludes that while community radio raises awareness, its influence on behaviour change is limited. It recommends increasing the frequency of drug abuse-related programmes and incorporating emotional storytelling. Future research should investigate the long-term impact and reasons for infrequent content airing. Keywords: Community Radio, Drug Abuse, Drug, Tanzania Southern Zone.

Actions (login required)

View Item