Audience Reception of Alcohol Abuse Messages among the Visually Impaired in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

In Kenya, the visually impaired report a lack of awareness of where to get reliable information on treatment and prevention of Alcohol Abuse. People with visual impairment are considered most at risk of alcohol and drug abuse, with recent studies showing that 40-50% of people with vision impairments may be categorized as heavy drinkers. Despite this, scarce literature exists on the specific aspects of health information and communication interventions suitable for the visually impaired. Additionally, studies on communication barriers undermining access to healthcare information resources and messages to the visually impaired are also scarce. The gaps identified above constituted the problematic issue that motivated this study which aimed to investigate how the visually impaired in Nairobi access and make sense of alcohol abuse messages in Kenya, with a view to proposing an audience-centred approach to social change communication among this demographic. Specifically, the study sought to answer the following research questions: How do visually impaired people in Nairobi access communication messages against alcohol abuse? What are the experiences of visually impaired people in Nairobi regarding communication against alcohol abuse? And how do visually impaired people in Nairobi make sense of the communication messages against alcohol abuse? The study was guided by the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Transtheoretical Model (TTM). This study adopted a Phenomenological research design. A qualitative research method was used to generate and analyse data. Using a purposive sampling procedure, 25 participants with visual impairment were identified from rehabilitation centres and institutions for people living with disabilities within Nairobi County. Data was generated through in-depth interviews. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, analysed thematically, and presented in narrative form according to the themes. Study findings indicate that many alcohol treatments and prevention messages are available through visual media – newspapers, posters, flyers, and magazines – which are not accessible to the visually impaired. Thus, the visually impaired often rely on intermediaries to interpret the messages communicated through visual media. Additionally, content on mass media rarely paid attention to alcohol addiction issues affecting the visually impaired and thus did not appropriately meet the needs of the visually impaired. Besides, socio-cultural dynamics such as gendered socialization influenced the interpretation and perceived need for information on alcohol. The study further established that health messages would be valuable to the visually impaired if they were communicated in formats accessible to them and had content tailored to their specific needs. The study concludes that current communication interventions on alcohol abuse, including the formats used, do not adequately address the specific needs of the visually impaired, even though this demographic group is disproportionately affected by alcoholism. Consequently, it is recommended that effective audience analysis and inclusive participation of the visually impaired be undertaken before developing appropriate and effective communication interventions for marginalized groups such as the visually impaired.