Uganda is one of the countries pursuing the ambitious UNAIDS 90-90-90 global target: Ensuring that 90 per cent of all people living with HIV know their HIV status, 90 per cent of all people diagnosed with HIV infection receive sustained anti-retroviral therapy and 90 per cent of all people receiving anti-retroviral therapy have viral suppression by 2020. To achieve this ambitious target, we need concerted effort of all stakeholders, right from the donor community, through the private sector to the general public.
The considerable number of HIV/Aids infections occurring among adolescents is partly attributed to early onset of unprotected sex and multiple concurrent sexual partnerships coupled with substance abuse. Statistics from UNAIDS reveal that about 65,000 female adolescents (aged 10-19) live with HIV in Uganda compared to about 49,000 male adolescents. This trend must change if Uganda is to develop a quality population.
Understanding factors related to HIV transmission, behaviour and practices is invaluable in designing appropriate behaviour change communication . BCC is an interactive process to develop tailored messages and approaches using a variety of communication channels to develop positive behaviours; promote and sustain individual, community, and societal behaviour change; and maintain appropriate behaviours.
The 2014 HIV/Aids Uganda Country Progress Report decried the limited funding for comprehensive social and behavioral change communication despite low HIV/Aids comprehensive knowledge. The percentage of women aged 15-24 who correctly identified ways of preventing the sexual transmission of HIV and who rejected major misconceptions about HIV transmission stood at only 35.7per cent.
Behavioral change is a gradual process that occurs over a long period of time. In order to sustain the observed changes or effects in adolescents behavior and attitudes towards HIV/AIDS, information flow greatly shapes the behaviors of adolescents.
A 2015 behavior change campaign survey by Uganda Health Marketing the multimedia condom campaign dubbed ‘If it is not on, it is not safe’ scaled out in 8 districts among adolescents observed that (80.3%),of youth reformed their sexual behaviors after listening to radios, (23.8%) televisions and billboards (23.1%). Only 6.8% of the respondents had been exposed to the campaign via Interpersonal communication channels.
Based on participatory formative research with adolescents, the OBULAMU adolescent sub campaign named What’s Up developed a series of print, audio and visual messages to address the unique sexual and reproductive health needs of this audience. The campaign messages so far trigger self-reflection, dialogue and action towards desired adolescent behaviors such as skills to navigate relationships; pregnancy and HIV prevention; partner reduction; safe male circumcision; HIV testing, care and treatment; and early TB detection and treatment.
In order to intensify the campaigns, we need to scale-up age- and audience-appropriate social and behavioral change interventions including targeting, adolescents (both in and out of school) and young people we need to avail adolescents with necessary information through different fora such as radio programmes with role models, community outreaches as well as Information, Education and Communication (IEC) materials which will enable them make more informed decisions. This will also allay the misconceptions about HIV among them.
Campaign efforts should be continuous in order to ensure constant exposure to campaign messages, which is crucial in sustaining behavior change among adolescents.
Government partnerships and buy-in is very important in rolling out behavior change campaigns in order to maximize success and sustainability of planned activities, district ownership of the campaign activities greatly contributes to the success of the campaign. The advent of web 2.0 technologies has also posed a threat to our youthful population but with clear plans can help to beef up the behavioral change campaigns.
The National HIV and AIDS Strategic Plan 2015/2020 indicates a missed opportunity in schools where a fair proportion of young boys and girls spend majority of their time and could be reached with HIV and AIDS messages through civic education. Schools have very organized systems for information flow and shape the behavior of young people, notably making Information Education and Communication programmes part of the school curriculum or community initiatives aimed at fighting HIV will go a long way in reducing HIV/AIDS prevalence among this vulnerable group.
Joyce Tamale Namirimo
The writer is a managing director Uganda Health Marketing Group.(UHMG)
The article was published in the New Vision of 1 December 2017
Uganda Health Marketing Group 