Raising Public Awareness Research Articles

The Role of Digital Tools in Raising Public Awareness of Family Planning Methods in Tanzania

To address the various complications resulting from poor family planning, the government, and other stakeholders are tirelessly conducting campaigns that will boost awareness and the uptake of family planning methods in society. Apart from the traditional channels of disseminating family planning information such as the use of television and radio, much attention has been directed into the use of digital tools. Following this, the study aimed at examining the role of digital tools in raising public awareness of family planning methods in Tanzania. The study employed a mixed research design that gave out room for collecting and analysing data quantitatively and qualitatively. The main targeted population was the residents who are of reproductive age and a total of 100 residents were contacted. The data collected were analysed descriptively through the use of frequencies and tables. This part mostly included quantitative data. On the other hand, content analysis was applied in analysing the qualitative data. The findings relating to the general objective revealed that digital tools had the potential of playing a great role in disseminating information concerning family planning methods and other related campaigns. The findings revealed that the respondents preferred the use of digital tools in obtaining family planning information compared to the predominantly traditional channels such as television and radio. The study recommended putting more emphasis on the use of digital tools in disseminating family planning information rather than the predominantly traditional channels. In addition, the study recommended more training to the youth and those who are on reproductive health by conducting various social campaigns tailored in promoting awareness of family planning agendas.

Analyzing the Challenges and Opportunities in Raising Public Awareness About the Hazards of Natural Disasters Among Junior High School Students in Bandung Regency, Indonesia

Natural disasters pose a significant peril to the Indonesian community, especially the Bandung Regency. Due to the significant likelihood of calamities, it is crucial to enhance public consciousness, particularly among adolescents in junior high school, regarding the perils associated with natural catastrophes. The objective of this study is to examine the obstacles and possibilities of enhancing knowledge of natural disaster risks among middle school students in Bandung Regency. This study employs a qualitative methodology, utilizing a case study technique. The researchers gathered primary data by conducting interviews with junior high school students, instructors, and relevant stakeholders, in addition to making field observations. The research findings indicate that there are multiple obstacles to enhancing the level of awareness among junior high school students regarding the perils associated with natural disasters. These challenges encompass a deficiency in knowledge and comprehension concerning the hazards posed by natural disasters, limited availability of information and educational resources pertaining to disasters, indifference and a lack of concern towards natural disasters, as well as a dearth of proactive involvement from both educational institutions and parents. Nevertheless, this study has identified various avenues for enhancing the knowledge of junior high school students regarding the perils associated with natural calamities. These include incorporating disaster education into the school syllabus, employing information and communication technology (ICT) to disseminate information and educate about disasters, engaging students in simulation exercises and disaster response activities, and reinforcing the involvement of families and communities in fostering a culture of disaster awareness. Enhancing the knowledge and understanding of the potential hazards associated with natural disasters among junior high school students is a crucial measure to foster community resilience in the face of future calamities.

Public participation in beach clean-up activities to raise awareness and reduce marine litter for the protection of the Black Sea ecosystem

Human activities and poor awareness are believed to be responsible for marine litter pollution. In the scope of the European Union, Cross Border Cooperation, and Black Sea Basin (EU, CBC, BSB - 785) LitOUTer Project, “Raising Public Awareness and Reducing Marine Litter for the Protection of the Black Sea Ecosystem”, beach clean-up activities have been conducted. A beach clean-up activity was conducted at the Kıyıcık Beach, Trabzon, Turkiye involved by Stakeholders, NGOs, middle to high school, university students, teachers, and lecturers. This study aims to reveal the amount of marine litter at Kıyıcık Beach through public participation in beach clean-up activities. A total of 4488 solid wastes (∼100 kg) were collected and removed from the beach. The waste composition consisted of 50% plastic, 22% metal, 10% glass, 8% paper, 4% cloth, 1% metal, and 4% Covid-19-related waste. Plastic pieces, plastic bottles, and caps dominated the plastic litter on the beach. Moreover, 119 single-use face masks (Covid-19-related waste) were collected. Single-use plastic waste in the environment implies the impact of human activities and a lack of awareness regarding marine litter. Public participation in beach clean-up activities is expected to raise individual awareness and reduce marine litter to protect the Black Sea Ecosystem.

The Role of Tax Consultants as a Means in Raising Public Awareness to Paying Taxes in the Era of the Self Assessment System

The main objectives of this research are to find out the role of the tax consultant of Sahabat Mulia Binjai in managing the taxpayer self-assessment system, and to find out how far the role of the tax consultant of Sahabat Mulia is in attracting the interest of the local community to pay taxes. This study used descriptive qualitative method. Data collection techniques used are interviews, observation and documentation. The results of the study show that tax consultants play an important role as a means of making people aware of paying taxes in this era of the self-assessment system. Because the existence of a tax consultant who provides programs and campaigns makes the public more educated about understanding tax reporting and payment.

Sustainable Cotton Production through Skill Development among Farmers: Evidence from Khairpur District of Sindh, Pakistan

Pakistan is the world’s fourth largest producer and one of the major cottonexporting countries. Cotton is grown largely in Punjab and Sindh provinces and accounts for about 10.5 percent of the value-added in the agriculture sector. The majority of cotton growers are smallholders and a large number of them are tenant farm households. Frequent pest outbreaks since the early 1990s have induced pesticide-based farming in Pakistan. Also, the liberalisation of generic pesticide import has resulted in a many-fold increase in pesticide use in the country. However, this has neither increased cotton productivity nor the prosperity of the poor cotton growers [Poswal and Williamson (1998) and Ahmad and Poswal (2000)]. In Pakistan, research and development in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) was initiated in the 1970s. However, the efforts to implement IPM at the farm level were not very successful. Pesticides became a major instrument of production leading to a ‘pesticide treadmill’ situation [Irshad (2000)]. An analysis of pesticide policies through the UNDP-FAO Policy Reform Project paved the way for the establishment of a National IPM Programme and provided instruments to scale up farmer-led IPM through joint international and national efforts on various fronts. Pesticide policy studies estimated environmental and social cost of pesticides in Pakistan at US$ 206 million per year [UNDP (2001) and Azeem, et al. (2003)]. About 49 percent of these external costs were attributed to pest resistance problems, while 29 percent to loss in bio-diversity and nearly 20 percent occurred to human and animal health. On the other hand, damage prevention expenditures for residue monitoring and raising public awareness on the dangers of pesticides is less than 2 percent of the total social costs of pesticides.

Raising Public Awareness as a Permanent Impact Instrument: The World Thrombosis Day Movement

The World Thrombosis Day (WTD) is a public awareness campaign led by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasias (ISTH) aimed at increasing global understanding, prevention and treatment. The campaign was launched in 2014 after a systematic review of the literature showed that venous thromboembolism (VTE) causes a major burden of disease across low- income, middle-income and high-income countries.

Effectiveness of using Social Media to Raise Public Awareness during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh

Social media has been one of the most effective and influential forms of communication in providing day-to-day information during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of social media platforms in raising public awareness in Bangladesh during the pandemic. The study employs a quantitative method based on 833 (Male 86.8%; Female 13.2%) valid responses from citizens of Bangladesh, disseminated through an online questionnaire using social media channels. Datasets were analyzed through statistical tools using Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 26 (IBM Corp), e.g., Frequency and Percentage, Descriptive Statistics, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and Pearson’s Correlation Matrix (PCM). Based on the findings, Facebook (78.3%) has been the most used social media platform during the pandemic in Bangladesh. However, statistics of the majority (44.1%) indicate that only 37% of awareness (37%) related posts on social media attract their attention. The study indicates that social media has been essential in raising awareness amongst the majority of the citizens (Mean 4.14), providing updates (Mean 4.05) and accurate (Mean 4.05) information to the masses. Awareness through social media has resulted in citizens becoming highly aware of the necessity of washing hands, maintaining social distance, wearing masks, and learning about vaccination, authenticating the influence of changing citizens’ behavior. Although there is a risk of spreading incorrect information via social media, its effective utilization can significantly raise public awareness during a global crisis, such as COVID-19, influencing citizen behavior.

Group Communication for Raising Public Awareness on COVID-19

The growing pandemic of COVID-19 demands public awareness across the globe for people’s health and safety. Accordingly, the government of Indonesia has implemented the PSBB, PPKM, and mandatory vaccination policies. The current study used a descriptive and quantitative approach employing surveys and questionnaires as the main data collection tools. The research was conducted on a group of traders at Pondok Labu Market, South Jakarta, which consisted of five trade groups – clothes, fruit, grocery, vegetables, and gold. Of them, 94 respondents were selected as the study sample. Freire’s theory of consciousness and bona fide group theory were followed. The results indicated that by implementing health protocols, awareness continued to process, develop, and expand from the level of ”naive awareness” and ”critical awareness” to the highest level of ”awareness.” The limitations noted were the lack of handwashing facilities and hand sanitizers provided to the traders. Although the implementation of PSBB and PPKM has affected the overall business of the traders, they continue to comply with the government protocols.
 Keywords: public awareness, group communication, spread of COVID-19

Urban Interventions and Public Pedagogies for Raising Public Awareness on Sustainability

Urban Interventions and Public Pedagogies for Raising Public Awareness on Sustainability

Trends of Rudaw's Weekly Press Discourse in Raising Public Awareness of National Issues

This research is an attempt to present and discuss the subject of the journalistic discourse in the Kurdish press and educating the public on national issues, which are determined by the political and economic framework of the country through the elements of national sovereignty, international relations and economic policy. Citizen, the land and the country together so the researcher considered stop to search the facts related to the process of communication and those messages addressed to the general public through the press institutions lead us to reach the results in a scientific description and accurate analysis of the subject by which the researcher means As long as one of the scientific methods used in communication research based on the method of content analysis and questionnaire in the form of fieldwork in order to obtain the desired results. One of the most important results obtained by the researcher is the need for a unified press letter applied in all media institutions in order to preserve the safety of citizens and the security of the country, for it is observed that the Kurdish media do not adopt a unified view concerning national issues, in this case, the news on the Western Kurdistan. This approach to national issues should be eliminated and the Kurdish media should adopt a uniform media discourse in addressing such issues in order to crate a sense of national settlement and security.

Narrative Communication Messaging in Raising Public Awareness of Type 2 Diabetes Risk – A Multi-Perspective Cartography

Narrative Communication Messaging in Raising Public Awareness of Type 2 Diabetes Risk – A Multi-Perspective Cartography

From Social Research to Education and Training - Campaigns to Raising Public Awareness of Hazards

The education of society regarding safety is in fact the cheapest, smartest and most effective form of preventing danger. It constitutes a fundamental way of building the population’s safety. It also has a great influence upon the attitudes, values, knowledge and skills required for proper behaviour in case of danger.The article describes the education process consisting in the transfer of knowledge and teaching skills in order to take specific actions, as well as forms and tools to raise the level of social awareness, especially in terms of perceiving actions, and a list of references showing the flow of social research, its purpose, and the tools used. Most of the elements, however, are shown in the list of possibilities to use tools on a very large scale, in the form of social campaigns. An example is given of a practical approach to all departments and goals for raising the level of social opinion in Transcarpathia and of hazadrs occurring in that area and ways to counteract them.

The Government's Role as a Pioneer in Raising Public Awareness About Waste Management

The role of the village government in this case is influential in increasing public awareness about waste management in Lalak Village with the village government program, namely sorting waste independently which aims to increase public awareness about the importance of waste management due to the lack of role of the village government in increasing public awareness through management rubbish. The purpose of this study was to determine and understand the role of the village government which has an impact on public awareness in waste management in Lajuk Village, Porong District, Sidoarjo Regency. This study focuses on the role of the village government, namely the role of the village government as a pioneer. The method used in this study is descriptive qualitative method with data collection techniques carried out by observation, documentation, interviews with informants and using sources from books and journals.

Building a Wind Power Plant from Scrap and Raising Public Awareness for Renewable Energy Technology in a Circular Economy

Putting renewable energy to good use is necessary to deal with one of the greatest challenges of our time, namely, climate change. One problem, however, is that the technology we are using today turns into toxic waste at the end of its useful life, which in particular concerns the blades of wind turbines. We investigated how the ideas of a circular economy can be applied to address this issue. To this end, we built a small wind turbine almost entirely from used materials. The social purpose of this is to raise public awareness about renewable energy technology that is part of a circular economy. Therefore, we chose a reliable and easy-to-build concept for a small wind turbine, which can be reproduced in a “Do It Yourself” (DIY) approach. The core challenges we had to face consisted of how to acquire appropriate used materials and how to improve the efficiency of the system to obtain adequate electrical power. With a financial investment of less than €100, we built a Savonius wind turbine for use in, for example, a private garden to charge a power bank or other USB-chargeable devices.

Role of Social Media as a Soft Power Tool in Raising Public Awareness and Engagement in Addressing Climate Change

Climate change has been one of the most debated topics in the past few decades, but a number of challenges have hindered the development of robust policies and strategies by nations. At the same time, social media platforms—such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook—have given the opportunity for the general public to share opinions and engage with the issue of climate change like never before. This phenomenon is considered to be a new form of soft power which can provide input into the discussion and possibly affect the current international political mechanisms. The present paper aims to (1) define the forms and characteristics of social media as a soft power method, (2) analyze its influence on the awareness of societies, and (3) assess if increased public awareness could influence the official political and policy processes. In order to assess if social media has influence on people’s relative awareness, we have focused on analyzing the links between a few highly visible climate change related events and the trends in people’s searches on the Internet in connection to those events. The study finds that even though it is difficult to assess the effects of social media as a soft power tool with certainty, there are visible links between social media and changing public perceptions, with the possibility of public opinion influencing political decision-making.

Designing an Experiential Exhibition for Raising Public Awareness of Cultural Sounds to Safeguard Sonic Intangible Cultural Heritage Values

Designing an Experiential Exhibition for Raising Public Awareness of Cultural Sounds to Safeguard Sonic Intangible Cultural Heritage Values

Association between Sugar Intake, Oral Health, and the Impact on Overall Health: Raising Public Awareness

The role of sugar consumption and oral health refocused largely due to associations between systemic diseases and conditions (type 2 diabetes, obesity) and oral health. This review examines the evidence supporting the impact of sugars on oral diseases and the role of sugars in oral-systemic complications. The increased consumption of dietary sugars, including sugar-sweetened beverages, and the increasing percentage of sugars as a component of the US diet affect oral health in the population. It is important for dental professionals to know public health implications and strategies to effectively communicate this risk to patients’ oral health. Local and state governments experienced success with the regulation of sodas and sugar-sweetened beverages and studies demonstrated that these regulations are largely successful in decreasing consumption among adolescents. It is the role of the dental professional to support these activities to promote healthy dietary choices for patients.

Raising Public Awareness of Clinical Trials: Development of Messages for a National Health Communication Campaign

Clinical trials are essential for developing new and effective treatments and improving patient quality of life; however, many trials cannot answer their primary research questions because they fall short of their recruitment goals. This article reports the results of formative research conducted in two populations, the public and primary care physicians, to identify messages that may raise awareness and increase interest in clinical trials and be used in a national communication campaign. Results suggested that participants were primarily motivated to participate in clinical trials out of a self-interest to help themselves first. Messages illustrated that current treatments were tested via clinical trials, helped normalize trials as routine practices, and reduced concerns over trying something new first. Participants wanted messages that portray trials as state-of-the-art choices that offer some hope, show people like themselves, and are described in a clear, concise manner with actionable steps for them to take. The study revealed some differences in message salience, with healthy audiences exhibiting lower levels of interest. Our results suggest that targeted messages are needed, and that communication with primary health-care providers is an important and necessary component in raising patient awareness of the importance of clinical trials.

World Stroke Day in Taiwan: Raising Public Awareness of Stroke

Summary Background World Stroke Day (WSD) is an international campaign for raising stroke awareness according to the WSD proclamation. We investigated whether the 2012 WSD campaign organized in Taiwan fulfilled the requirements of the target population and improved stroke literacy among the attendees. Method A questionnaire survey regarding the 2012 WSD Taiwan campaign was administered by our trained interviewers to the attendees. Results In total, 350 attendees participated in the survey, and only 57.89% of the attendees identified the brain as the main damaged organ in stroke. Most attendees recognized ischemic stroke (85.94%) as a stroke type and hypertension (47%) as a common risk factor. The three most commonly recognized stroke symptoms were limb weakness, slurred speech, and facial weakness. Most attendees could seek medical help and call emergency services if a stroke occurred. Regarding the main themes, only 56.16% and 19.76% of the attendees knew about golden hours 123 and the FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, Time) mnemonic, respectively, prior to the campaign. Furthermore, 50.44% of the attendees knew that thrombolytic therapy is the treatment of choice for stroke, and 58.06% and 40.32% of the attendees were partially and completely satisfied with the campaign, respectively. Only 20 attendees showed good stroke literacy. Conclusion When preparing for future WSD campaigns, the organizing committee must perform a detailed assessment to understand target population requirements and design more appropriate events. For promoting the WSD campaigns, proficient advertising is necessary for attracting attendees and increasing their willingness to participate.

Raising Public Awareness: The Role of the Household Sector in Mitigating Climate Change.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial, transportation and commercial sectors, emissions from the household sector also contribute to global warming. By examining residents of Taiwan (N = 236), this study aims to reveal the factors that influence households’ intention to purchase energy-efficient appliances. The assessment in this study is based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), and perceived benefit or cost (BOC) is introduced as an independent variable in the proposed efficiency action toward climate change (ECC) model. According to structural equation modeling, most of the indicators presented a good fit to the corresponding ECC model constructs. The analysis indicated that BOC is a good complementary variable to the TPB, as the ECC model explained 61.9% of the variation in intention to purchase energy-efficient appliances, which was higher than that explained by the TPB (58.4%). This result indicates that the ECC model is superior to the TPB. Thus, the strategy of promoting energy-efficient appliances in the household sector should emphasize global warming and include the concept of BOC.