An investigation of the communication approaches used in creating HIV/AIDS awareness at the workplace: a case study of secondary schools in Machakos District

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most heavily affected region, accounting for 71 % of all new HIV infections. HIV I AIDS affects fundamental rights at the workplace, particularly with respect to discrimination and stigmatization of people living with and affected by the disease. Proper utilization of communication strategies is desirable for effective behavior change hence reduction of the pandemic. The study was carried out to investigate the communication approaches used in creating HIV and AIDS awareness at the workplace.

The study was guided by the following specific objectives; to establish whether there are adequate information, education and communication (lEC) materials in schools, to determine whether HIV I AIDS information disseminated on prevention is appropriate at the work place, to examine the strategies used in disseminating HIV I AIDS information at the workplace, to establish teachers perceptions towards HIV I AIDS and the communicated information and to examine the hindrances encountered when communicating HIV I AIDS issues at the work place.

Cross- sectional study design was used to guide this study. A two- stage sampling was used for the survey: the first stage was random selection of schools from the target population of 44 schools while the second stage the selection of 120 teachers from the selected schools. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, with the application of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 18).

The study established that, HIV/AIDS was a major cause of teacher ineffectiveness as a result of morbidity and mortality, HIV and AIDS affects productivity in schools through mainly absenteeism. Guidance and counseling was identified as a common strategy that is being used in many schools to manage HIV I AIDS in schools and careful clear implementation of clear policies and sustained commitment from the management of TSC and MoE at all levels will contain HIV/AIDS.

The researcher recommends that the HIV I AIDS policy should be simplified and disseminated to all teachers and other stakeholders and there should also be effective coordination of all HIV I AIDS related programmes in our Kenyan schools.