Lunjalu, Lilian2020-12-182020-12-182020-07Lunjalu, L., (2020). Examining the Use of Communication Campaigns in Creating Awareness on Mental Health in United States International University-Africa. Daystar University, School of Communication: Nairobihttps://repository.daystar.ac.ke/handle/123456789/3349Master of Arts in CommunicationThe purpose of this study was to examine the use of communication campaigns in creating awareness on mental health at United States International University-Africa (USIU-A). This study was guided by the following objectives: to investigate the messages and language used in the communication campaigns at USIU-A, to examine the students’ level of awareness on help-seeking at USIU-A, and to find out the most preferred channel for the mental health campaigns by the students. The study was guided by health belief model and it adopted descriptive research design. The study was conducted in Nairobi County and targeted students and counsellors from USIU-A. A total of 181 participants were sampled; 178 using stratified sampling and 3 using purposive sampling. A mixed approach of data collection with both qualitative and quantitative methods was utilized. The quantitative data was analysed using IBM-SPSS software version 21.0, while qualitative data was analysed by categorizing the data into themes according to the research objectives. Data was presented in charts, graphs and tables. The study found that mental health campaign messages are easy to understand (mean of 3.92 and SD. 0.79), persuasive (mean of 3.56 and SD. 0.80) and that the language used did not stigmatize against those with mental illness (mean of 3.87 and SD. 0.90). Secondly, it was established that 61% of the students were aware of the mental health campaigns. However, participation in mental health campaigns was found to be very low. Social media platforms such WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter were preferred by most students. The study concluded that in a communication campaign, messages and language used ought to be informative and persuasive since the goal is to change behaviour. The study recommended the need for the university to enhance their communication strategies to increase awareness and motivate student participation in the campaigns.enCommunication CampaignsAwareness CreationMental HealthUnited States International University-AfricaThesis