PSI is dedicated to achieving behavior change through strategic, multi-channel messaging tailored to its target audiences. Behavior change communication (BCC) combines commercial marketing techniques and entertainment approaches with messages that promote knowledge and help normalize and reinforce healthy behaviors. PSI has substantial experience in determinants of use for health products in technical areas outside of clean indoor air.
PSI uses both branded and non-branded (generic) BCC campaigns. Branded campaigns focus on promoting and creating demand for branded products, such as Trust male condoms or Care female condoms or branded services such as New Start HIV counseling and testing services. Campaigns that address risk behaviors may also be branded. For example, in Malawi, all of PSI’s HIV prevention activities for youth including peer education, school-based programs, and radio shows are branded as Youth Alert!. Non-branded campaigns encourage general HIV prevention product use, service utilization and address behaviors such as risk perception, concurrent sexual partnerships and partner reduction strategies, stigma and discrimination and unhealthy social and cultural norms.
Examples of some of PSI’s successful behavior change communication campaigns include:
• Reducing Stigma and Discrimination in Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, where stigma and discrimination remain serious obstacles to HIV prevention, testing and treatment, PSI has developed an anti-stigma mass media campaign that incorporates real life testimonials by HIV-positive people. The campaign, Don’t Be Negative About Being Positive has aired on TV and radio and has been printed in newspapers and on posters since May 2005. Developed in close collaboration with people living with HIV (PLWH), the campaign marks the first time in the history of Zimbabwe that PLWH, such as a teacher and minister, have come out openly in the mass media to talk about their HIV status and the stigma that they face in their everyday lives. The campaign, which won a 2005 Global Media Award, has helped to advocate for the acceptance of PLWH, promote the importance of knowing one’s HIV status and has shown that there is life after a positive HIV diagnosis.
• Promoting HIV Risk Perception- Under AIDSMark, Society for Family Health (SFH)/Nigeria launched an ambitious multi-channel intervention called Make We Talk to increase knowledge and access to HIV prevention products, promote abstinence and accurate HIV risk perception and create an enabling environment for HIV prevention programs. The program targeted high-risk groups including commercial sex workers (CSWs) and their clients, transport workers, military, police and youth. SFH/Nigeria’s approach included macro-interventions, such as nationwide media coverage and nationwide product distribution, and micro-level community-based interventions. Evaluations indicated that SFH/Nigeria contributed to significant increases in reported abstinence among male youth, and consistent condom use among CSWs
• Promoting Condoms, HIV Prevention and Family Planning - In the Democratic Republic of Congo, Association de Sante Familiale (ASF, an affiliate of PSI) used mass media and interpersonal communication (IPC) to promote the Prudence condom brand, spread HIV awareness and prevention messages, and promote family planning. Since inception, the mass media component of the program has reached an estimated 10 million people and has built one of the only professional media production studios in the country. ASF complemented mass media campaigns with targeted IPC programs that reached an additional 700,000 of those most vulnerable to HIV, including commercial sex workers, transportation workers, uniformed services personnel and youth. Evaluations have shown up to a 70 percent increase in condom use among targeted groups.
|
