CLAUSAL MOOD AS EXCHANGE IN SELECTED COVID-19 MESSAGES FROMTHE NIGERIA CENTRE FOR DISEASE CONTROL

Abstract

The COVID-19 Pandemic has been a global health crisis, necessitating widespread public health messaging to curb its spread. In Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) played a crucial role in sensitizing the public through various communication channels, including short message service (SMS) and social media. This study examines the use of mood and health belief model cues in selected COVID-19 sensitization messages from the NCDC, analyzing their
interpersonal meanings and alignment with the Health Belief Model (HBM). Both qualitative and quantitative data analyses were carried out in the research. Being a descriptive research, the study adopted a mixed approach. The qualitative aspect of the study adopts Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) with a focus on the interpersonal
metafunction, alongside Rosenstock’s Health Belief Model (1974), to explore how linguistic choices influence public health communication what the result were also quantitatively represented in pie and bar charts. Data were collected from SMS messages received by the
researchers and others, as well as messages retrieved from NCDC’s social media platforms. The messages were analyzed based on mood structures and their corresponding health belief cues. Findings indicate a predominant use of declarative and imperative moods, which serve to inform and direct public behavior. The study concludes that mood and modality function as critical discourse strategies in COVID-19 messages, influencing public perception and adherence to health guidelines. The insights from this research contribute to the understanding of language as a tool in health communication and provide recommendations for enhancing sensitization strategies.