Communication effects and their impact on the dissemination of HIV/AIDS information to the youth : A study of two christian children's fund (CCF) Zambia projects

Abstract

The report is based on a study that sought to establish effects of communication and their impact on the dissemination of HIV/AIDS information to the youth in the Christian Children's Fund, (CCF) Zambia affiliated projects. The study also sought to establish how the youth perceive the HIV/AIDS messages they receive and factors that influence their preference to accessing different types of communications. The study is particularly useful to organizations like CCF Zambia, its affiliated projects or indeed all other organizations dealing with programmes directed at HIV/AIDS prevention and mitigation for the youth. For these, the study will help in arriving at appropriate and effective communication channels for disseminating HIV/AIDS information to the youth, in a cost effective manner. Youth from the two Kafue based CCF Zambia projects aged between 15 and 24 years were targeted for the study. The units of the study were randomly selected based on the computer generated Linking Children to Sponsors (LINCS) project listings. Both quantitative (survey) and qualitative (Focus Group Discussion) methods were used for collecting data. A statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data while qualitative data was organised in categories and analysed thematically as per research questions.The study established the fact that most of the youth depended on interpersonal communication comprising parents, friends, teachers and the church as a major source of information on various issues including HIV/AIDS. In terms of the mass media, radio was the most accessed and the medium considered effective for disseminating HIV/AIDS information. Additionally, results revealed that most of the youth would like to be involved in the development of HIV/AIDS messages/materials. From the findings of the study, it is clear that for one to reach the youth, interpersonal communication channels should be considered as vital. As for the mass media, radio is perceived by most of the youth as the most effective for disseminating various types of information including HIV/AIDS messages. It is also widely accessed by the youth especially those in the rural areas.