The Role of Health Media Campaigns in the Egyptian Public's Acceptance of Neurological Disorders in the Context Presented: Autism Spectrum Disorders as a Model

The study sought to explain the role of media campaigns conducted by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population in health awareness, applying it to the 100 Million Healthy Lives campaign (the President's initiative to support mental health, the Autism Spectrum Initiative), and its role in providing the general public with health information about some mental health disorders and increasing their understanding. The study also aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of communication activities of health media campaigns and monitor the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral effects resulting from exposure to the content of these campaigns. It then aimed to examine the extent to which the medical or genetic nature of mental and neurological disorders is accepted within communication contexts to develop appropriate communication policies for health awareness. This descriptive study relied on a survey approach to discuss variables, with the aim of determining the role of media campaigns in raising awareness among mothers with children aged 6 months to 2.5 years regarding early detection and follow-up of their children. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 400 mothers of children in this age group, collected through special education and needs centers, speech and language rehabilitation centers, and the headquarters of the Beni Suef Health Affairs Directorate. The study reached a number of results, the most important of which are: 38.75% of the respondents are constantly exposed to media campaigns that include community initiatives. It also confirmed that most of the respondents (the study sample) relied on social networking sites as a primary source of information about the autism spectrum, at a rate of 97.25%, followed directly by the Ministry of Health and Population’s website. The study results revealed that the media campaigns related to the autism spectrum initiative had emotional effects on the respondents, the most important of which was that the campaign increased the respondents’ sense of social responsibility towards children as the strongest emotional effect it left in their souls with a relative weight (91). The results revealed that most of the media campaigns related to the autism spectrum affected their behaviors, and at the forefront of these effects was that the campaign gave them the strength and courage to go to special education and psychological rehabilitation centers to check on their children.