Community Radio as a Tool for Youth Mental Health Awareness: Analysis of the Pass the Mic Show Content on Pamoja FM in Kibra Sub-County, Nairobi, Kenya

Community radio is an important tool for health communication, drawing its greatest appeal from its ability to address the psychological and social concerns of local audiences through culturally resonant programming. Community radio stations are regarded as powerful sources of information, broadcasting on a small scale and predominantly serving underserved and marginalized areas, such as slums. A growing consensus acknowledges the high prevalence of mental health challenges among youth, with slum settlements projected to lead in these figures, largely due to socioeconomic and sociocultural factors. Given the potential of local broadcasting to create awareness of various health issues, including mental health, and the significant dearth of scholarly literature on the effectiveness of community radio mental health content in the Kenyan context, this study examined the influence of the Pass the Mic Show’s content in this regard. The study was guided by the Health Belief Model and adopted a qualitative research design utilizing content analysis and in-depth interviews. Eight purposively selected episodes of Pass the Mic Show were analyzed alongside in-depth interviews with nine youth listeners selected through snowball sampling. Data analysis involved content analysis of the radio episodes and thematic analysis of the interview data, with findings presented in a narrative format. The findings revealed that the program effectively created mental health awareness among listeners by informing them about factors that increase susceptibility to mental health challenges and emphasizing the severity of these issues. It also highlighted the benefits of taking mental health-related actions, such as help-seeking, while addressing the barriers that may hinder such efforts. The study recommended the need for training journalists on the appropriate handling of mental health discussions, as presenting mental illness predominantly in a negative context, particularly in association with suicidal ideation as observed in the program, can perpetuate stigma and reinforce negative attitudes towards mental illness.