The potency of persuasive messages as an intervention method on HIV/AIDS in young people: an evaluation of ISHI campaigns in Mbeya urban district secondary schools

The advent of HIV/AIDS pandemic in Tanzania has seen a number of activities being undertaken aimed at curbing the infection and the spread of the disease. Recently, the focus has been to raise awareness among young people who are potential victims of the deadly disease. Measures to educate the young people about the disease and change of their reproductive behaviour to curb the pandemic have been in the multi-sectoral approach. Among these approaches was the ISHI led persuasive media campaign. This study sought to establish how the campaign has influenced youth’s sexual behaviour and their general attitude in the atmosphere where the campaign was totally youth oriented in its make, design and concern. Other matters arising out of the campaign were also explored from the point of view of young people amidst conflicting attitudes from other stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS. A sample of 350 secondary school students from Mbeya urban district, one of the regions with the highest HIV/AIDS pandemic rate in Tanzania, participated in the study. A study was an exploratory survey conducted in four purposefully sampled secondary schools. Data were collected using questionnaires which were later analyzed using SPSS programme version 10.0. The study established that the students’ sexual behaviour has not changed and that sex debut and condom use was higher at later forms and age. It was also revealed that the attitude of young people towards the campaign is surprisingly negative towards the campaign and some of the emerging issues. The findings also indicated that some of the attitudes and sexual behaviours are significantly associated with social demographic variables of age, school and students’ level of education. Thus, it recommends that other stakeholders ought to be included in the creation of the messages leveled on young people in the environment with close- knit social relations like Tanzanian. It is also recommended that different messages be coined to young people of different ages and levels of education using different media of communication.