PATTERN OF ACCEPTANCE AND ADOPTION OF MEDIA MESSAGES ON COVID -19 IN RURAL AREA

The aim of this study was to look at the pattern of acceptance and adoption of media messages on COVID -19 protocols among rural dwellers. It used Alajue village, Ede South Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria, as a case study. Built on Health Belief Model (HBM). Survey research design was used for the study. The sample size was made of 164 respondents via Cochran's formula. The finding shows that the respondents knew COVID-19 and believed it was a real pandemic. Results also revealed that Radio is the most accessible media medium useful in passing health information to rural areas. Another finding showed that most rural dwellers accepted media messages on COVID-19 but had a low attitude towards adopting the media on COVID-19 protocols. The researcher concluded that media messages and health information are vital in the fight against pandemics among rural dwellers; government needs to give more attention to the health situation of the rural areas the same way with the urban area dwellers. Radio is an effective medium of disseminating health information to the rural areas within the nation.