Disseminating reliable health information through participatory radio programming on Indigenous language media: A study on selected community radio stations in rural Ghana

This study is aimed to ascertain the role community media plays in the dissemination of reliable health information for rural community dwellers. By sampling three community radio stations in rural Ghana, the study presents a new perspective on how health dis/misinformation can be debunked through participatory programming and Indigenous language broadcasting on small community-owned mass media systems. Our study was influenced by the concept of informative fictions. We collected data using in-depth semi-structured interviews and a qualitative radio programme analysis of the health programmes of the participating community radio stations. Our study found that commercial media, herbal medicine practitioners and religious leaders play key roles in the spread of health dis/misinformation in rural Ghana. It was also found that, community radio presents an opportunity for local community health workers, such as medical doctors and district health promotion officers, to be involved in producing and broadcasting reliable health information to the members of their communities. The study concludes that whereas trust in religious leaders and herbal medicine practitioners promotes the spread of health dis/misinformation, programme producers and health workers who participate in health programme production in community radio stations can also capitalize on the trust of their community members to debunk health disinformation.