Nigeria Health Watch Tackles Health
Information Disorders
Health misinformation has emerged as a significant threat, undermining
public health efforts and putting lives at risk. The proliferation of false or
misleading information has led to poor health decisions, vaccine hesitancy, and
a growing mistrust in healthcare systems and professionals. In response to this
urgent challenge, Nigeria Health Watch, a prominent health advocacy and
communication organization, launched a Fellowship program in 2023 to combat
health misinformation and promote accurate, evidence-based health narratives
across the nation.
Building on the program's success, Nigeria Health
Watch has expanded its reach with the implementation of the second and third
tracks of the Fellowship. In collaboration with key stakeholders, the
initiative targets a diverse group, including social media influencers,
creatives, bloggers, nurses, midwives, traditional birth attendants, community
pharmacists, chemists, traditional medicine practitioners, and health
educators. These stakeholders are empowered with the skills and tools to
counter health misinformation, advance evidence-based health communication, and
rebuild public trust in healthcare systems.
This multi-sectoral approach underscores the
importance of collective action in addressing the growing threat of health
misinformation while fostering an informed and healthier society.
The three interconnected tracks are the Health Misinformation Management Fellowship which equips influencers, bloggers,
and creatives to produce accurate, compelling health content and combat false
narratives online. The Health Workers Misinformation
Fellowship is designed to enhance healthcare providers’ skills in identifying,
addressing, and mitigating misinformation within their professional and
community networks, while The Lagos
State health educators Fellowship is a localised initiative targeting
Health Promotion Officers (HPOs) in Lagos, emphasising community engagement and
mobilization to combat misinformation at the grassroots.
Achievements of the fellowship program include:
Content Creation and Digital
Engagement:
Fellows produced over 168 pieces of health-focused content, garnering more than
56,000 views and nearly 63,000 interactions.
Community
Outreach: Participants conducted grassroots
educational campaigns, conducting advocacy visits to schools, communities, and
healthcare facilities.
Lagos
Community Impact: Promotion
Officers from three health districts engaged their communities effectively,
creating district-specific action plans and leveraging local expertise for
sustainable outcomes.
Behavioral
and Knowledge Shifts:
There was a 31% increase in audience understanding of misinformation across the
programs.
The Managing Director of Nigeria Health
Watch, Vivianne Ihekweazu, emphasised the collective responsibility to combat
health misinformation and amplify credible information.
“This fellowship is not just a program; it is
a movement. Today, we celebrate the graduation ceremony of all
three tracks. These fellows are now equipped to play a vital role in addressing
health misinformation and fostering trust, both online and within
their communities”.
In
her keynote address, Fatou Wurie emphasised the importance of building trust, noting
that
“Trust, once it is built, is stronger than
fear”.
The highpoint of the
event was the launch of the Health Information Disorder Management Network by
Dr. Kemisola Agbaoye, Director of Programmes at Nigeria Health Watch. This
initiative aims to sustain the fight against health misinformation by fostering
collaboration, innovation, and accurate health communication.
