| dc.description.abstract | The conceptualization of the study considers the following salient issues in
prevention of HIV infection in Kenya. First, HIV and AIDS continues to have a
devastating effect on Kenya's population leading to the reduction of life
expectancy from 55 years in the 1980s to 42 years today and it was declared a
national disaster in 1999. Second, there is noted change of behavior that has
led to the reduced risk of predisposition to HIV infection in Kenya. Lastly,
evidence exists of reduced prevalence from 12 percent in 1999 to 6.7 percent
in the year 2003 (KDHS1999 and KDHS2003).
This study examined how communication has over time influenced behavior
change in the area of HIV and AIDS. It critically examined communication
approaches and messages used in the fight against the spread of HIV and
AIDSfrom late 1980s to date. Emphasis was on the shortcoming and strengths
of the different approaches. This approach helped shed light on how the
shortcomings have helped shape communication process for the better and
how the strengths have helped move people up the ladder of behavior
change towards adapting desired behavior.
Despite the successes made, it is imperative to note that positive behavior is
not adopted uniformly across the country. The study sought to establish why
that is the case and what communication interventions can be put in place to
ensure that everyone is at the same level in terms of adopting positive
behaviors.
It is important to also highlight the positive behavior repeatedly referred to in
HIV and AIDS as follows: abstinence from sexual intercourse for unmarried
people, remaining faithful to one faithful marriage partner, ensuring that one
always has safer sex (correct and consistent use of condoms), increased
health seeking behavior, like seeking medical help whenever one has an STI
(Sexually Transmitted Infection), seeking ante-natal services for pregnant
women (this is the first step in prevention of mother to child infection of HIV),
avoid sharing skin piercing instruments and seeking to know one's status
through testing (Ministry of Health 2000).
Other related factors that fundamentally affect people were examined to
establish how they have imparted on the reducing trend of HIV infection in
Kenya. This comparison will help accord communication its fair share in the
contribution towards this trend.
Communication factors assumed to influence behavior change in HIV
prevention can be summed up in the source, message, channel, receiver and
the effects of the messages. Literature review was used to inform the study on
the theoretical framework of the approach. Respondents in the study were of
great use in confirming their sources of information, the type of messages
they received on HIV and AIDS and the effects of communication in terms of
behavior transformation.
The study also sought to unearth barriers that stand in the way of
communicating HIV and AIDS messages (in communities). The significance of
this study was that, it aimed at establishing the co-relation between
communication and HIV and AIDS.Therefore the study targeted all community
members over eighteen years to establish communication and other factors
that have made them adopt positive behavior (this assumes that all
respondents had adopted positive behavior). The study also sought to
establish who in community was most likely to adopt positive behavior.
Because the core interest of this study is communication and HIV and AIDS, it
was important for the study to have clear audience segmentation and examine
messages for targeting each audience. Media strategy used to target each
audience is crucial, for example, the channels used were identified and their
effectiveness examined.
Findings of KDHS(2003) indicate that the level of knowledge of AIDSis almost
universal especially in urban settings in Kenya, with 99 percent of women and
men indicating that they have heard about AIDS. The results further show that
there are almost no differences in level of knowledge by age, marital status,
urban-rural residence, province, level of education, and wealth index, with
the possible exception of respondents in North Eastern Province and those
with no education, fewer of whom have heard of AIDS. The level of awareness
about HIV/AIDSfor both women and men has been very high since the 1993
KDHS(98 percent of women and 99 percent of men).
It is also interesting to note, according to KDHS (2003) findings, that urban
dwellers are more knowledgeable than their rural counterparts. The level of
awareness by province shows that women and men in Nairobi Province are
better informed than those in other provinces. By far the most disadvantaged
region is North Eastern Province, which showed the lowest levels of
knowledge for all methods of reducing the risk of contracting HIV.
A number of communication barriers exist in the way of people seeking
information on HIV and AIDS. The study looked into these barriers in order to
understand how they had slowed the rate of minimizing HIV infection despite
achievements made in lowering prevalence. Getting the barriers out of the
way will help expedite on communication activities that will eventually lead to
increased knowledge on HIVand AIDS.
Effective communication campaigns can only be designed where there exists
proper knowledge of issues that stand out as barriers to behavior change.
Communication activities will design messages to try and break the barriers
to behavior change (Ministry of Health 2000). | en |
