The impact of communication on HIV

c947aa1df295.jpgThe third National HIV Communication Survey was conducted among a cross-section of 10 000 South Africans between the ages of 16 ‘€“ 55 and it shows three key trends. It shows that more South Africans are now testing for HIV, more men are getting medically circumcised and condom use has increased.

‘€œMore than 80% of South Africans have been reached by these communication programmes, and that’€™s a huge number of South Africans. There have been major positive shifts in behaviours, for instance, over 10 million South Africans tested for HIV in the last year. Through these communication programmes and through other activities as well, we have managed to get more than 10 million South Africans to know their status’€, declares Mandla Ndlovu, programme manager for Communications at Johns Hopkins Health and Education South Africa, which is responsible for programmes such as the advertising campaign, Scrutinise and the television drama series Intersexions.

The study was managed by research institute, Health and Development Africa. Managing Director, Dr Saul Johnson, says the findings are a significant improvement from the last National HIV Communication Survey of 2009.

‘€œThe people who have said they’€™ve ever tested were around 60% when we did the survey last, in 2009. And it’€™s now gone up to almost 75% – so, almost three quarters ‘€“ and we’€™re talking about sexually active people in the population. That’€™s a really big increase. If we equate it to a number, it’€™s around 10 million people who say that they tested in the last year, which is very, very similar to the number of people who the Department of Health say have tested in the last year as well’€, Johnson says.                          

Dr Andile Dube, Programmes Director for the youth initiative, loveLife, says the survey found that the increased number of South Africans who took the HIV test was also informed by the fact that political leaders such as President Jacob Zuma took a stand and led the country in the massive HIV Counselling and Testing campaign that started in 2010.

‘€œOne of the questions we asked is: How much influence does a leader when they actually go for testing. One question was around the president, Honourable Jacob Zuma. There was a huge correlation between what people see and what drives them to actually want to go testing when they see national leaders testing. So, we encourage more and more leaders to go testing because it influences what people see and what people think. And, of course, that does not just say only national leadership, but leadership at all levels’€, Dube says.    

The study also found that more men are now knowledgeable about medical male circumcision as a form of HIV prevention. About 350 000 men got circumcised last year.    

‘€œWhen we last did the survey in 2009, when we asked people if there were any benefits to men getting circumcised there were very few people who mentioned HIV. In this survey in 2012, almost half of the sample said that male circumcision can reduce the risk of HIV. The other interesting question we asked is – for men who were not circumcised – whether you would intend to be circumcised in future, specifically in the next year. What we estimate from our survey is that about one million men said they would definitely like to get circumcised in the next year’€, says Health and Development Africa’€™s Dr Johnson.              

The survey also found that condom use is increasing.

‘€œCondom use at last sex with casual partner increased to about 86%. Condom use at last sex with main partner also increased – we’€™re looking at 72% among people who had a high level of exposure. This is compared to just over 59% for those who have not had exposure. So, what it says is that people who are exposed to the communication programmes are more likely to use a condom and it says communication strategies are really, really needed and they are making a difference in the lives of South Africans’€, according to loveLife’€™s Dr Dube.

According to the survey, about two-thirds of respondents reported to have used a condom the first time they had sex. The survey examined the impact of 19 communication interventions in various media platforms in South Africa.

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