Audience Perception on the Role of Mass Media in Promoting Health Awareness and Education Among Residents of Offa Kwara State

This study covers audience perception on the role of mass media in promoting health awareness and education among residents of Offa Kwara State. Despite the efforts of health authorities and media practitioners, health challenges such as malaria, hypertension, diabetes, and poor hygiene persist among residents of Offa. The mass media is a powerful tool for awareness and education, often faces challenges such as misinformation, limited reach, and varying levels of audience trust. This study seeks to investigate how residents of Offa perceive the role of mass media in health awareness and education, the factors influencing their trust in media sources, and the extent to which mass media contribute to shaping their health behaviors. The objectives include: to identify the types of mass media most commonly used by residents for health information; to assess the effectiveness of health-related messages delivered through mass media; to evaluate residents' trust in mass media as a reliable source of health information; to explore the challenges faced by mass media in promoting health awareness and education. The study focuses on residents of Offa, Kwara State, as the target population. It examines their engagement with mass media for health information, their perceptions of the effectiveness of media messages, and the challenges associated with media-based health education. The population of this study are residents of Offa Kwara State Residents of Offa with a total population of 166,112 according to (NPC, 2024). The sample size was determined using Krejcie & Morgan table for determining sample size, therefore the sample size is 384. Findings revealed that the respondents are aware of mass media health awareness Programme, the medium they first become aware of the national minimum wage increase is on television, radio, newspaper and magazines, they are exposed to health awareness programme to a very high extent and they listen to health awareness programme frequently. This research conclude that mass media awareness messages on health has a positive effect on its audience. However, there are challenges that hinder mass media from effectively promoting health awareness and education in Offa. Many rural communities have poor access to television, radio, and the internet, media organizations prioritize commercial content over health education due to advertising revenue concerns. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations are made; media organizations should invest in training; media organizations should collaborate with health experts, improve funding for public health campaigns