PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF TRADITIONAL HEALERS' SOCIAL MEDIA ACTIVITIES AND CREDIBILITY OF HEALTH INFORMATION IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The increasing use of social media by traditional healers to advertise herbal remedies and disseminate health information has raised concerns about the credibility of such content and its implications for public health in Nigeria. This study examined the nature and extent of public exposure to traditional healers' social media activities, the perceived credibility of health claims encountered online, and the influence of age and digital literacy on credibility assessments among residents of Anambra State, Nigeria. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed methods design, anchored on the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice (KAP) Model and the Health Belief Model (HBM). Quantitative data were obtained from 384 respondents through a structured questionnaire, while qualitative data were obtained through six in-depth interviews. Findings revealed that Facebook was the dominant platform for encountering traditional healers' content (84.0%), and advertisements for herbs and treatments were the most frequently encountered content type (48.2%). Nearly half of the respondents (48.2%) were neutral regarding credibility, while skeptical assessments (31.0%) exceeded positive assessments (20.6%). Chi-square analysis showed that age group was significantly associated with perceived reliability of traditional healers' information [χ²(16, N = 384) = 35.190, p = 0.004], and digital literacy was significantly associated with the credibility of unverified health claims [χ²(12, N = 384) = 26.648, p = 0.009]. The study concludes that traditional healers' social media activities are highly visible and predominantly promotional, received with cautious credibility judgments, and shaped by age and digital literacy. It recommends strengthened regulation of online health claims, improved digital health literacy, and multi-stakeholder collaboration.