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The case to scale up edutainment as an effective public health communication intervention to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Zimbabwe.

Tafadzwa DzinamariraBrian NachipoAlbert NyathiRoda MadzivaHelena HerreraHugh SiegelGodfrey Musuka
Published in: Health promotion perspectives (2022)
Efforts to control the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have been negatively affected by myths, misconceptions and misinformation, fuelled by an "infodemic" spread via social media platforms. In response, The Zimbabwean COVID-19 response built on its experience with past public health communication strategies to employ edutainment strategies for COVID-19 awareness campaigns. This article discusses the different strategies and how they were employed. In this perspective piece, the authors discuss edutainment as an effective vehicle for reaching wider sectors of society. In tackling complex social issues with simple language, integrated into various entertainment formats, edutainment can bring about change in contexts where traditional strategies and actions may prove unsuccessful.
Keyphrases
  • coronavirus disease
  • social media
  • public health
  • sars cov
  • health information
  • randomized controlled trial
  • respiratory syndrome coronavirus
  • mental health
  • human immunodeficiency virus