Developing Affective Health Communication Strategies for Sustainable Development: An Analysis of Young People’s Appropriations of G- Pange HIV/Aids Campaign Messages in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Much as studies indicate 98% level of HIV/AIDS awareness in Kenya, other studies also show that there is a rise in infection rates among young people. This study aimed at understanding how young people make sense of G-Pange campaign messages and how these messages influenced their behavioural choices. G-Pange is a registered trademark affiliated to HIV/AIDS Free Generation in Kenya (HFG/K). The primary objective of HFG/K is to conduct countrywide campaigns and engage various media in encouraging Kenyan youths to undertake steps to minimize their exposure to HIV infection. Specifically, this study aimed at answering the following research questions; how do the young people make sense of G-Pange campaign messages? How do the youth’s appropriate G-Pange campaign messages in their daily discourse about relationships, sex and HIV/ AIDS? What is the influence of the G-Pange Campaign messages on the behavior of youths in Uasin-Gishu County? The study adopted a mixed approach to generate and analyze data. Three hundred and thirty students from two technical training institutions in Eldoret were selected to participate in the study using a multi stage sampling technique. Data was generated in two phases; the first phase involving the use of self- administered questionnaires while the second phase involved the use of focus group discussions. Findings of this study indicate a high level of awareness among the youth about G- Pange HIV/AIDS campaign, yet young people still engage in sexual risk taking in their daily lives. Young people appropriated the five G-Pange pillars differently, thus hindering the adoption of safe sexual behaviours. Some of the key emerging discourses among the young people are that whereas they understood and made sense of G-Pange messages correctly, they ended up appropriating the messages differently. Young people still had concurrent sexual partners and were not using protection correctly and consistently during sexual intercourse. Furthermore, young people visited VCT to know their HIV/AIDS status in order to continue having unprotected sex. The results therefore support the conclusion that young people’s social discourses about HIV/AIDS plays a role in mediating the impact of health related behaviour change campaigns among the young people.