Impact of Mass Media Campaigns on Health Promotion and Change in HealthBehaviour with Special Reference to COVID-19

ABSTRACT Mass media campaigns are widely used to expose high proportions of large populations to messages through routine uses of existing media, such as television, radio, newspapers and digital media. Exposure to such messages is, therefore, generally passive. Such campaigns are frequently competing with factors, such as pervasive product marketing, powerful social norms, and behaviours driven by addiction or habit. In this research paper we will discuss the outcomes of mass media campaigns in the context of various health-risk behaviours (e.g., use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs, heart disease risk factors, sexrelated behaviours, road safety, cancer screening and prevention, child survival, and organ or blood donation and now related to COVID-19). We will understand how mass media campaigns can produce positive changes or prevent negative changes in healthrelated behaviours across large populations. We will assess what contributes to these outcomes, such as concurrent availability of required services and products, availability of communitybased programmes, and policies that support behaviour change. Finally, we will purpose areas for improvement, such as investment in longer better-funded campaigns to achieve adequate population exposure to media messages. Keywords: Health Behaviour, Mass Media Campaigns, COVID-19, Pandemic, Corona Virus, Lockdown