Engaging communities in the understanding of excessive alcohol consumption in rural Central Kenya

Abstract

Chronic alcohol consumption is among the major public health and socioeconomic burdens in many developing nations. This study focuses on the heavy drinking of unrecorded and unmonitored illicit liquor that has been associated with numerous fatalities in rural Central Kenya in spite of government's efforts to limit its supply and consumption. The communication for social change approach puts emphasis in community engagement, incorporating the unheard voices in defining the problem and designing appropriate interventions. Through focus groups and in-depth interviews to examine rural communities' perspectives on the root cause of the alcoholism problem and their perceive severity of the problem, the study found sociocultural, economic, and environmental factors that need to be addressed for successful alcohol prevention in the region. Although communities are aware of the severity of chronic alcoholism, they may not have proper understanding of the long-term health impact it has on consumers and the overall communities. Such findings are necessary in the design of culture-specific communication interventions that focus on social change beyond individual behavior.