The Cause and Effect of Morality Frame on the Perception of Obesity among 35-55 years University Female Academic Staff in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the cause and effect of morality frame on the perception of obesity among 35-55 years University female academic staff in Nairobi County, Kenya.

Methodology: This study applied the one-group pretest-posttest experimental design. In the one-group pretest-posttest experimental design all study participants provided with the same treatment and assessment. The researcher, therefore, collected data using the pre-and posttest questionnaires. The treatment applied is Slimpossible television program season six episode one was purposively selected out of seven seasons and ninety-eight episodes covered by the Slimpossible television program. The obese females were qualified through an interview process to participate in the Slimpossible challenge, a popular weight loss television program aired by Citizen Television Network. The justification for choosing the season six-episode one television program was based on assessing the media frames according to Entman (1993), where the scholar mentions the following: human interest, consequences, morality, and responsibility. Although this study is a quasi-experimental research design, the researcher attempted to use randomization to improve the validity of the pretest and posttest experimental study design. Furthermore, out of the randomly selected sample, a purposeful sample was selected for assessment based on a specific interest (Stratton, 2019). The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. This study presented descriptive statistics using tables with frequencies and percentages. Secondly, the research conducted inferential statistics using several types of inferential analysis tools such as the Factor analysis (The Keiser-Meyer –Olkin (KMO) test), Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and regression analysis (logical regression).

Findings: The results showed that obesity and morality issues are more inclined toward Westernized perception than African perception. The inferential statistics using factor analysis was successful in extracting three independent components of the morality frame. The Keiser-Meyer –Olkin (KMO) test of adequacy (KMO=0.521; Chi-square=4254.5 d.f =66, p=0.000) was significant, implying factor analysis using the principal component method was appropriate. The three components, that is personal moral opinion, morality & Western media, and morality & African media cumulatively explain 71.3 % of the total variability.

Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: This study emanated from the media framing theory, where it provided morality frame as one among five frames, mentioned by an American political scientist known as Robert Entman in 1993. Its contribution to practice, based on the findings, the respondents expressed that obesity is not subjected to moral decay/decline because their perspective was that obese females are healthy, beautiful and good people. The respondents felt that Africa faces more challenges with hunger and famine compared to obesity issues. The study recommends the involvement of academicians and health scientists to explore through research ‘why’ obesity is not a moral issue in tackling obesity. They could conduct visibility studies and experiments and publish them in peer-reviewed journals for access.