INTRODUCTION:

India’s polio eradication awareness campaign tells inspiring story for many nations which are struggling to overcome from this health hazard due to poor Medicare facilities. On 13 January 2013 UNICEF announced that India had completed two years without any reported case of polio. The last case came to light when a two-year-old girl was diagnosed with polio in Howrah district of West Bengal on 13 January 2011.

India achieved a major milestone with the World Health Organization (WHO) striking it off the list of polio endemic countries on 25 February 2012. (UNICEF, 2012) WHO recorded 23,800 cases of polio between 1988 and 13 January 2011 in India (Sachffer, 2012). Through polio eradication efforts, a significant investment has been made in strengthening health service delivery systems in many countries. An estimated 10 million health workers and volunteers have been engaged in implementing the necessary polio supplementary immunization activities (SIAs) on a recurring basis and at least 35 000 well-trained workers have been conducting polio surveillance (Goswami, 2007). Polio eradication campaign is a joint effort of Ministry of health and family welfare, UNICEF, scientists, administration and the mass media to make India polio free. India formally adopted a lot of the media campaigns strategy as well as interpersonal communication strategy to eradicate polio.

Today mass media in all its forms (television, radio, newspaper, social media and cinema) are effectively transmitting messages of polio awareness and eradication. The reach (penetration) and availability of mass media plays a very important role in spreading awareness about polio eradication (Kulkarni, 1992). Main functions of mass media may be summarized as follows:

1. Collection and transmission of news information.

2. Analysis of information and recreation of message.

3. Enhance the information related to the social issues like agriculture, education, health, customs, values, traditions etc.

4. Awareness campaigns like health and sanitation, safe drinking water, environment preservation, water conservation, animal protection etc.

1.1. Health communication:

Health communication is an art and science of informing, influencing, and motivating individual, institutional, and public audiences about important health issues. Communication in health takes place individually, in groups, communities and in masses. Mass media are important tool for creating awareness and disseminating information among urban and rural community. Mass media can increase awareness quickly and effectively although health issues need to more visibility and air-time. “In health promotion, communication is a planned process. The effectiveness of this planned process comes to fruition when the audience has acted on or responded to a message (Corcoram, 2007)”. Health communication can contribute to all aspects of decease prevention and health promotion. “Trakroo and Jagatdeb suggest that overall health communication should be such that it not only empowers people but also enables them to make informed decisions on personal and delicate questions” (Singh, 2006).

1.2. Pulse polio campaigns in India:

In 1988, WHA resolution calling for global polio eradication, wild poliovirus was endemic in more than 125 countries on five continents, paralyzing more than 1000 children every day.(John, 1984. John, 2006) As of May 2005, poliomyelitis occurs primarily in Africa and South Asia. In 1995-96 India scheduled two national immunization day and first phase of immunization covered up to 3 years age of children (Bhattacharjee et al. 1997) later it expanded up to 5 years (Goswami, 2007).

Pulse Polio Immunization had in the beginning enjoyed enormous popularity as a people’s program, unleashing an immense spirit of volunteerism that brought the prevention of a communicable disease beyond the realm of public health. Large numbers of volunteers, including teachers, students, religious leaders, medical practitioners, community leaders, housewives, came forward with the program’s inception in December 1995. They manned over 700,000 vaccination booths, talked to families, made public appeals and organized students’ rallies. Throughout the country, school children took to the streets in droves to raise awareness of National Immunization Day (Weiss et al. 2011). Mass media along with traditional media was used to mobilize rural people. Villagers pedaled loud speakers around while rows of young people marched to the rhythmic beat of drums, publicizing the day with much fanfare and colour. Eradication team mobilized state health machinery across the country. Two millions volunteers reached 87 million children up to age five. Setting up surveillance system, another important arm of polio eradication are media who gave speed to campaigns. In 1997 Danish aid agency and DANIDA made an 11.5 million support to surveillance the campaign. Polio cases reported in India are 23800 from 1994 to 2010 (Sachffer, 2012).

1.3. Mass campaign against polio:

The high level of polio vaccination coverage indicates that over 90 percent of population had been aware about polio eradication. Ministry of health and family welfare has popularized polio eradication campaign engaging well known personality of deferent field such as politician, film star and sport star etc. Popular and well known famous personalities regularly appeared on national television. They were appeal to masses by using short and simple catchy tagline “Do boond zindagi ke” (Two drops of life). Polio drops were well known product to protect children from disability limbs. In 1999-2000 UNICEF proposed a national media campaign of polio eradication. Back then mass media campaign was focusing on social and emotional appeal that aimed to motivate parent to bring children on polio booths for vaccination. A professional aid agency Ogilvie and Mather was higher to develop social advertisement messages (UNICEF, 2003). Ogilvie designed content engaged with emotional and local approaches.

1.4. Strategy adopted in media campaign:

Communication and social mobilization strategies prior to 2013 were focused on to create awareness of pulse polio and later it was focused on to bring parents again and again onto polio booth to beat polio from root. The challenge confronting the government, UNICEF and the Social Mobilization Working Group (SMWG) was two-fold. Firstly, how to bring information to the unreached, underserved communities and tackle resistance to Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) vaccination? Secondly, how to continue motivating the majority already reached to participate in OPV vaccination for the next two years. Although the efforts of polio eradication in India faced challenges when a 2003 Fatwa issued by influential Muslim clerics in Nigeria, warned their communities to avoid polio vaccination for it they said vaccine make children sterile (Singhal, 2013). The marginalized communities have little or no mass media however sometime marginalized mass suddenly react with rumours about OPV. They are illiterate and can’t understand realty of decease. They thought OPV designed to control fertility in children. They believed polio campaigns were a continuation of coercive population control measures from the 1970s when the government forced people with 2 or more children to be sterilized (Coates et al. 2013). For instance “We heard this rumour that this vaccine will affect some nerve in the children which will make them unable to produce children. We then thought that our children will become useless, nobody will marry them and our family will not be able to propagate. This is why we did not give the medicine,” said Fatima Bai, a Muslim woman at a focus group discussion (UNICEF, 2003). This type of comments slowly transmuted into beliefs. It needs a opinion leader who can dispel misunderstanding and promotes polio eradication campaign. The nature of eradication of decease involves a routine work including high degree of commitment of health workers, volunteers and mass media. Marketing considered in health sector as successful when people demands for health services. Although success of health care facilities depends on two things first mass media properly works to spread awareness among people about health care facilities and second is availabilities of health care facilities for example mass media are informed, educated and motivate to people to adopt family welfare measures. To avail the services of family welfare people need a Community Health Center (CHC), Doctor’s advice and medicine facilities. If there is no CHC then people are marginalized from health care facilities. Unavailability of health care facilities leads failure of development plan and mass media messages too. Communication tools for polio eradication:

1 Television	5. Radio	9. Newspaper
2.Wall paintings	6. Hoardings	10.Public announcement
3. Street plays	7. Pamphlets	11. T-Shirts, Mask
4.Sponsoring events	8. Rallies	12. School events (Glashan, 2011)

1.5. Television and Polio awareness campaign:

There are very limited studies on television as a medium in relation to pulse polio eradication campaign and health education. “The Indian Space Research organization (ISRO) and several other institutions have done a number of studies on the impact of television under SITE (Satellite Instructional Television Experiment). SITE is India’s first television based experiment for rural development. SITE program started in duration of 1 August 1975 to 31^st July 1976. SITE covered 2400 villages of 20 districts of six states like Andra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odissa, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Programs were based on theme of mass education, family welfare, rural development, agricultural education and to create adoption of scientific ideas in the mind of people (Jr. Galloway, 1976. Kumar, 2010. Pachauri, 1994)”. According to Rogers, (1995) mass media can promote the diffusion and adoption of many technical and social innovations. Mass media programs in support of the polio eradication were expected to make contributions as following:

1. Carrying out advocacy among decision makers at different levels (global, regional, national, state, and local)

2. Mobilizing individual, groups, communities, opinion leaders, religious opinion leader and government and non government organizations to promotes and participate in polio eradication campaign.

3. Informing caretakers about vaccination dates and places to ensure compliance polio eradication campaign.

1.6. Importance of study:

As developing country India has been struggling to overcome from its socio-economic backwardness and ill health due to illiteracy, unemployment According to UNAIDS control report 2012 about 35.3 million people living with HIV worldwide and approximately 2.1 million people living with HIV in India too (UNAIDS, 2012). We have made substantial progress in understanding how specific personal actions can improve population health. This study aims at finding out the role played by mass media specially television in polio eradication in India. Mass media are most economical means of imparting information about polio. Television effectively raised public awareness on polio eradication (Goswami, 2007). It is also use for creating and maintaining a favourable environment for promoting public health.

1.7. Research objective:

2. To study which of the communication mediums are more popular in delivering health messages among Indian society?

3. To know the awareness level of people to participate in the final war against polio virus.

4. To know impact of Television’s advertisement related to pulse polio campaign on people.

1.8. Hypothesis:

As compared to other mediums Television played an important role in making people aware and mobilizing them enough to bring their children to polio booth for polio immunization.

1.9. Research design and Method:

According to feasibility of research study quantitative research design was chosen. Survey method was used to fulfill objectives of the research study. Furthermore, purposive and convenience sampling techniques were used for collection of the research data.

Data collection:

Data for the research study is drawn from six villages which lay under the Primary Health Center (PHC) of Sisendi of Mohanlal Ganj Block, Lucknow district. Interview Schedule tool was used to collect research datd and 100 eligible parents who had up to 5 years aged children were administered from six villages of Sisendi PHC. While conducting the interview schedule head of the family (generally the male member) or in case of couple husband or wife was taken as a respondent. SSPS 16.0 software was used for statistics of frequencies and M.S. Excel was used for graphical presentation of research report.

2. Findings and Interpretation:

The analytical framework based on systematic approach, two types of variables were considered namely independent variables (Mass media exposure) and dependant variables (awareness level of people on health issues and their participation in polio eradication). An attempt has been made in this chapter to synthesize and meaningfully analyze the major findings to look into the process of interaction of these variables. Researcher collected the required data by applying survey research design.

2.1. Means of mass communication

		Q1. Which mass media do you use for information?				Total
		Tele vision	Radio	News paper	All above	Total
Sex	Female	35	1	6	8	50
Sex	Male	31	1	7	11	50
Total		66	2	13	19	100

Research study was first examine mass media exposure of chosen peri-urban population. There were mix socio-economic demographic stutus of people. Their sources for livelihood were agriculture, labourer, teaching, own business government job and private service etc. Male member of family worked for livelihood and most of the female were house maker. It is found that television is a popular medium for acquiring informatin in peri-urban society and percentage of male and female all most equal for using means of information access. 86 percent female are depent on television for getting information while 84 percent male are depend on television for availing information.

Figure 1 shows that 70 percent female and 64 percent male, i.e, 66 percent people use television for getting information and entertaining themselves. 16 percent female and 22 male, i.e, 19 percent of people use television, radio and newspaper for acquiring informatin and entertainment. The research study reveals that 66 percent and 19 percent of people, i.e., total 85 percent use television as a primary source of information. It is interesting to know that demographic status of respondents are semi-urban but television is their main medium of mass communication for acquiring information instead of radio. Findings suggest that 42 percent of people prefer radio for information. .

Awareness about pulse polio

Q2. Have you seen any advertisement based on social issues on national television?				Total
		Yes	No	Total
Sex	Female	47	3	50
Sex	Male	46	4	50
Total		93	7	100

Figure 2 shows that 93 percent of people have seen advertisement based on social issues at national television channel. This indicates that media penetration of people on social issues maximum and television is their main means of mass media for availing of social issues. In the very next question, they were asked to mark disease which you saw on television. Figure 3 shows that 53 percent of people see advertisement of polio eradication and 13 percent of people gives answer all above (Pulse polio, Tuberculosis, Cancer) it means that more than half of population i.e. 66 percent of total population heard pulse polio through television.

2.2. Participation in polio eradication

		Q3. Have your children taken polio drops?			Total
		0	Yes	No	Total
Sex	Female	0	50	0	50
Sex	Male	2	46	2	50
Total		2	96	2	100

On applying correlation between mass media exposure and awareness level of people on health issues, it is found that a very positive relation between respondents’ mass media exposure and behavior chance towards participation in polio eradication campaign. It implies that respondents’ increasing mass media exposure leads increasing of their participation in polio eradication. Present study reveals 100 percent female accepted that her children regularly takes polio drops during polio eradication campaign while 92 percent of male respondent responses positively toward participation in polio eradication campaign. It is clear that 100 percent female and 92 percent male respondents participated in polio eradication.

It is clear from Figure 1, 2 and 3 that television is main means of mass communization to spreading awareness about health related issues. Most of people saw advertisement of Pulse Polio on television channels. Figure 4 shows that 100 percent female and 92 percent male, i.e., 96 percent of respondent participate in Pulse Polio eradication campaign. It was found that those people who exposed towards mass media messages of Pulse Polio had positive attitude towards polio immunization and more frequently participated in Polio immunization process.

H₁ “As compared to other medium television played an important role in making people aware and mobilizing them enough to bring their children to polio booth for polio immunization” is true.

3. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:

This research study is an attempt to find out answers to some of the very basic questions related to health communication and polio eradication. The sample ground chosen for this study were urban and semi-urban areas of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The one hypothesis that the researcher conjured is “As compared to other mediums television played an important role in making people aware and mobilizing them enough to bring their children to polio booth for polio immunization” and as the above stated data, it is found to be true. Going hand in hand with popular belief, television has turned out to be the most popular and effective mass medium for health communication (Flora, Maibach & Maccoby, 2010). On the basis of the collected information and findings (refer to question No.1 in the Findings section), it is clear that television is most popular, proven and successful medium for spreading awareness in semi-urban areas. There is positive relation between mass media exposure of people and their participation towards polio eradication. The study reveals that mass media exposure of people is the predictor of awareness about polio eradication in semi-urban society (Yadav et al. 2011). The research study explores 85 percent of total respondents use television as a mass media tool for acquiring information (Singh, Mishra, 2013) but their participation in polio eradication tells more promising and successful story.

The second question asked during the explored whether people have seen advertisements aimed at spreading social awareness among people and it is found that 93 percent of the respondents (both male and female) claim that they have seen such advertisements on television channel. The next question that followed was -- on which social issues they have seen the most advertisements. Four options were given to the respondents namely – Polio, TB, Cancer and other. 53 percent of the respondents said that they were aware about polio and had seen pulse polio advertisements on TV (Osowole, Obute, 2005) while TB and Cancer also raked up high numbers. Similar findings were found elsewhere (Nawathe, Gawande, Dethe, 2007). it opined that 94 percent respondent claimed, they came to the polio booths after seeing spots on television which was endorsed by celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and Jaya Bachchan. The third and final question touched on whether these advertisements were able to inspire people into getting their children to take polio drops and 96 percent of the respondents answered ‘yes’. The research data shows 96 percent respondents exposed to polio television spots reported taking their children to the polio booth for vaccination (Obregón et al. 2009) Majority of respondents remembered that bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan endorsing the pulse polio, as this the first thing that comes to their mind when they hear about pulse polio. So, endorsement of celebrities played very important role in communicating about polio immunization (Bansal, Jain, 2012)

Thus, on the basis of collected information and findings, it is clear that television is most popular and effective medium for spreading information among semi-urban community. Mass media, especially television because of their wide reach, strong appealing and cost effectiveness have been major mass media tool for spreading awareness among semi-urban community. It can effectively promote health intervention and disease prevention. The research findings suggest that there is positive relation between mass media exposure of people and their participation towards polio eradication. Television effectively creates awareness, educates and mobilized people to participate in polio eradication. Television, because of its Audio-Visual and entertaining feature is most popular medium in rural community. The people live in rural areas are use television as a mass media tool for entertainment as well as acquiring information like political news, health, education etc. While examined the role of celebrities in polio eradication campaign, it is found that the celebrities played very important role in creating awareness and influence people’s perception to participate in polio eradication campaign. For instance Amitabh Bachchan regularly informing, influencing, motivating and mobilizing parents to bring their children on polio booth for immunization since 2002. Mr Bachchan has been the face of polio mass media campaigns for nearly a decade advising and persuading parents to ensure “do boond zindagi ki” (two drops of polio vaccine) to every child every time.

Thus the research study shows that television as a mass medium for health communication is a very effective tool and it can also be argued that it has played a very pivotal role in making India polio-free. It must also be kept in mind that these results need to build upon and such a study should be conducted in other regions across India to definitively conclude that television is the best mass medium for health communication.

It can be concluded that a two-pronged approach is required to continue the good work that has been done for polio eradication. While mass media messages with celebrities need to be shown more frequently, fear psychosis also needs to be used to get people to bring their kids to the polio booths for vaccination. The other aspect that needs to be considered is that the model that was applied for successful eradication of polio needs to be adapted to tackle other health hazards like HIV-AIDS, Cancer, Tuberculosis and Encephalitis.

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Received on 04.02.2017 Modified on 12.02.2017

Int. J. Rev. and Res. Social Sci. 5(1): Jan.- Mar., 2017; Page 15-21 .

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2687.2017.00002.8