Political factors affecting parents’ perceptions on televised polio messages in Sindh, Pakistan: a critical investigation

Television messages are one of the essential means to disseminate polio messages in the prevention of infectious diseases. However, little is known about the hegemony of political actors specifically government in power over televised health content and its impact on people’s perceptions to adopt or reject a health attitude, particularly in developing countries. Theoretically, Bandura in his social cognitive theory (1997) has examined the change in mind-sets through observational learning, media and social surroundings. However, his research lacks to underline state dominancy over people’s health decisions with reference to political leadership. This study fills the gap by critically investigating political factors that obstruct Pakistani television channels to disseminate productive and informative polio messages, for boosting self-efficacy among lower middle class Jamshoro parents, thus encouraging them to vaccinate their children against polio in Sindh province of Pakistan. The methodological approach employs critical paradigm with qualitative investigation through in-depth interviews. Low level of awareness, less credibility of television channels and political hegemony over health messages contributed and enlarged self-efficacy to collective efficacy of political actors during findings of this research study as a new domain in social cognitive theory. In addition, this research sheds light by critically analysing the elements of corruption, unaccountability and lack of transparency involved in ineffective televised polio messages in developing nations as Pakistan, opening a space for policy makers and television officials for a positive health change in designing health awareness campaigns

Political Factors Affecting Parents’ Perceptions on Televised Polio Messages in Sindh, Pakistan : A Critical Investigation

Television messages are one of the essential means to disseminate polio messages in the prevention of infectious diseases. However, little is known about the hegemony of political actors specifically government in power over televised health content and its impact on people’s perceptions to adopt or reject a health attitude, particularly in developing countries. Theoretically, Bandura in his social cognitive theory (1997) has examined the change in mind-sets through observational learning, media and social surroundings. However, his research lacks to underline state dominancy over people’s health decisions with reference to political leadership. This study fills the gap by critically investigating political factors that obstruct Pakistani television channels to disseminate productive and informative polio messages, for boosting self-efficacy among lower middle class Jamshoro parents, thus encouraging them to vaccinate their children against polio in Sindh province of Pakistan. The methodological approach employs critical paradigm with qualitative investigation through in-depth interviews. Low level of awareness, less credibility of television channels and political hegemony over health messages contributed and enlarged self-efficacy to collective efficacy of political actors during findings of this research study as a new domain in social cognitive theory. In addition, this research sheds light by critically analysing the elements of corruption, unaccountability and lack of transparency involved in ineffective televised polio messages in developing nations as Pakistan, opening a space for policy makers and television officials for a positive health change in designing health awareness campaigns

Gender self-efficacy, perceptions and Mothers’ portrayal in televised polio messages in Sindh, Pakistan

Television exposure is considered a pillar of origination for awareness and attitude change in health messages. However, Pakistani televised polio messages, are not yet successful in mapping out the root causes of cultural restrictions imposed by patriarchal social structure on mothers’ contribution. Though mothers being the real caretakers of their children are oppressed from independent decision-making abilities for polio vaccination, particularly in Asian societies. Bandura (1999) discussed about gender roles and role of media in its social cognitive theory but did not identify the attitudes and perceptions of parents regarding health messages and its effects on parents’ health decision making process. Bandura (1999) also did not explore the role of television in empowering mothers for taking health decisions for children. Hence, this research fills the gap by critically analysing the narratives of parents that depict mothers as marginalised segment of the society and discourages them as equal contributors in polio elimination process. The methodological formulation applies critical investigation of lower middle-class parents with the help of qualitative research framework through in-depth interviews. Nonrepresentation of homely fathers’, mothers’ objectified and suppressed positions, patriarchal superiority, unequal distribution of health decision-making and low confidence of mothers were identified as potent constituents in extension of theoretical perspective for self efficacy and gender representation of Bandura’s social cognitive theory (1999). Thus, in this manner, this research unfolds ideas for policymakers to redesign polio awareness campaigns in country for impartial gender representation in televised messages by considering the importance of mothers’ empowerment in polio decision making process

A Critical Investigation of Parents’ Self-efficacy on Polio Messages : Political Hegemony and Digressive Role of Pakistani Television in Sindh, Pakistan

The persistent plight of polio health disease in Pakistan and its appalling treatment on television has challenged the credibility and reliability of the television institution among Pakistani citizens. Mass media polio campaigns started many years ago in Pakistan, yet polio remains a serious health threat to child development in the country. Parents’ understandings of their children’s health status and its perceptions can be triggered by televised health messages. However, few researchers have examined this issue by means of critical paradigm in relation to the lower middle class parents in Pakistan. Therefore, the aim of this study is to examine the lower middle class parents’ perceptions, and their engagement to televised polio messages as a resource of attitude change in the Jamshoro district of Sindh province, Pakistan. This research takes issue with the socio-cultural dynamics, and political leadership affecting parents’ perceptions in the study area. Indeed, perception cannot stand in the void rather it is shaped by socio-political setting of any country. This thesis argues that television as an institution in Pakistan focused on their economic benefits does not enhance parents’ self-efficacy to adopt a knowledge basedoutlook for attitude change in the polio eradication initiative. Besides, literatures on health only examined newspaper’s coverage of health issues through content analysis technique. The methodological approach to this research employs a critical inquiry that enables this study to investigate parents’ interpretations of televised polio messages with qualitative analysis through 35 in-depth interviews. Therefore, this research engrosses an investigation and critical reading of televised health messages in the realm of culture, religion, power and political hegemony. This research also observes as how these televised polio messages portray gender roles and discriminate fathers’ and mothers’ health position in a family affecting mothers’ empowerment in child health care. The conceptual framework used to investigate these dynamics is drawn from self-efficacy and collective efficacy of leadership under the umbrella of social cognitive theory (SCT). However, this thesis intends that selfefficacy does not exist as a single identity to adopt a change in parents’ perceptions due to political hegemony over televised health messages. But a combination of self-efficacy and collective efficacy of socio-cultural leadership can bring positivity in the ideas of Jamshoro parents’ cognitive attitudes. Therefore, the study proposes that “collectivism” in the light of collective efficacy of society, culture and religion is a core of Pakistani civilisation and a social morality for effective health outcomes in the polio eradication from Pakistan. This thesis also argues that gender roles in Pakistani patriarchal society oppress and discourage mothers’ appraisal, and empowerment in televised polio images. This whole mechanism of mothers’ oppression is a disadvantage to their cognitive perceptions that lowers and robs mothers’ decisive power, self-esteem and social position in a family in relation to the child vaccination decisions in Pakistan. Yet, improved television content can facilitate parents to overcome socio-political and gender inequality issues for better health outcomes in Pakistan