COMMUNICATING SCIENCE, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT: PATHWAYS FOR SUSTAINABLE AWARENESS AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

Abstract

This study examined the communication of science, health, and environment (SHE): pathways for sustainable awareness and public engagement. The knowledge gap theory was anchored in this study. This study adopted a qualitative research design to explore how science, health, and the environment communication fosters sustainable awareness and public engagement. The study population comprises approximately 1,200 residents of Port Harcourt Metropolis, including health workers, environmental advocates, science educators, and community members who are directly or indirectly influenced by science, health, and environmental communication. A sample size of 48 participants was selected and distributed across six focus groups of eight members each. This study employed a purposive sampling technique. Focus Group Discussions served as the main method of data collection, guided by a semi-structured discussion protocol. Data were transcribed and analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that science health, and environmental information are communicated more effectively when messages are delivered in a clear, simple language, tailored to local languages and cultures, and disseminated through trusted, interactive media platforms that allow for dialog. The study concluded that the effective communication of science health, and environmental information depends on the simplification of messages, their embedding in local cultural and linguistic contexts, and their delivery through trusted, interactive platforms that encourage dialogue and mutual understanding. The study recommended that science, health, and environmental messages should be simplified, translated into local languages, and shared through trusted interactive platforms