Using mass media as channel for healthcare information : A minor field study of audience’s media preferences in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract: One of the main tasks for journalism is to provide people with the information they need to be able to make independent decisions that can help them improve their lives. In order to know that the media fullfils this task it is important to study how the information is received by the audience. This thesis aims to investigate if, and if so how, a selected group of people in Dar es Salaam use news media to inform themselves on problems regarding healthcare, and how they value the information on these topics.A minor field study was carried out in Dar es Salaam in April 2014. The study was limited to Dar es Salaam, the economic capital of Tanzania, because it holds the majority of the media. Three different residential areas were chosen for the study, these were Mwananyamala, which is a low-income area, Sinza, middle–income and Mikocheni, high–income. A survey questionnaire was distributed in each area, 30 in Mwananyamala, 31 in Sinza and 30 in Mikocheni, and in every area four interviews was preformed.According to the selection group there is plenty of healthcare information in the media that is useful to the audience but it is not seen to be very varied. Most information is about malaria and HIV/AIDS, which are two of the most common diseases in Tanzania, but many call for a broader reporting on health issues. Media is however a useful source of information, according to most of the respondents, and especially radio and television has a big impact since it reaches out to a large part of the population. This is a good thing as long as the information is factual and accurate, but several of the respondents believe that this is not always the case.