the impact of the anti-aids billboard media on knowledge of and attitudes about hiv/aids among ...

182 Pages·2012·12.17 MB·English

THE IMPACT OF THE ANTI-AIDS BILLBOARD
MEDIA ON KNOWLEDGE OF AND ATTITUDES
ABOUT HIV/AIDS AMONG URBAN
STUDENTS IN ZAMBIA
"J
BY
Parkie Shakantu Mbozi
JULY 1996
The Impact of the Anti-AIDS Billboard Media
on Knowledge of and Attitudes about
HIV/AIDS Among Urban
Students in Zambia
BY
Paride Shakantu Mbozi
254700
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE UNIVERSrTV OF ZAMBIA IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF MASTER
OF MASS COMMUNICATION
THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA
I, Parkie Shakantu Mbozi, solemnly declare that this dissertation has not been submi
for a decree in this or any other university.
Signed:
Date:
i
APPROVAL
Tills dissertation of Parkie Sfiakantu Mbozi is approved as fulfilling part of the requirements
for the award of Master of Mass Communication.
EXAMINERS DATE
1. EXTERNAL EXAMINER-.
2. INTERNAL EXAMINER:..
3. SUPERVISOR : ^^ .^.1' .6r.4::VVui^ S^f^..,,.:^.!)./ (? ^
DEDICATION
To my wife Bertha and our naughty children. This work is aiso dedicated to ail the victims
of HIV and/or AIDS and care-givers the world-over.
4
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ABSTRACT
The study which formed the basis for the discussions in this thesis was conducted between
September 1995 and March 1996. The researcher visited 17 schoois and eight colleges and
the two universities in Lusai<a, Ndoia and Kitwe. The purpose of the study was to establish the
students' knowledge attitudes and behavioural intentions about HIV/AIOS as well as to gather
their perceptions about the roie and effectiveness of the anti^AIOS billboards in improving
knowledge and attitudes about various aspects of the disease.
A total of 531 secondary school, college and university students responded to a survey
questionnaire mainty on knowledge and attitudes. Thirty six (36) billboards were visited for
quaiitalitve evaluation by 360 students (10 per billboard) for quality of messages, design, display
and other factors which are considered crucial to the overall effectiveness of any billboard. The
survey found high knowledge on general information about HiV/AIDS, k}w on technical
information and misconceptions on selected aspects of the disease. Apart from tow acceptance
of condom use and traces of denial of AIDS, the students' attitudes, particularly on people with
HIV or AIDS (stigmatisation), were found to be generally positive.
With regard to the biiiboards, the resuits suggest that the students generally appreciate the need
to use these media as means of communicating information on HIV and AIDS. However, it wouid
appear that the generally poor designs, inappropriate messages and inaccessible or not easily
accessible locations tend to affect the students' exposure and attention to, and retention of the
current billboard messages. These three factors are the major determinants of the effectiveness
of any billboard on knowledge, attitudes and behaviour change. Ultimately the impact of the
current billboards in the three cities were found to be generally insignificant.
The study contains specific recommendations on how knowledge and attitudes about the disease
and the impact of the billboards as HIV/AIDS lEC materiais may be enhanced to the appreciable
levels.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The subject of HIV/AJDS deserves a special place in our country where almost everyone of us
has been affected in one way or the other. It is for this reason that I feel indebted to all the
individuals and institutions who contributed in their own ways to the successful completion of
my research and thesis write-up. It is difficult to acknowledge all the help that went into the
creation of this volume, but one place to start Is where it had its beggining. the Department of
Mass Communication, University of Zambia (UNZA). At UNZA i am pariiculary grateful to my
supervisor Professor Francis P. iCasoma for having been exceptionally speedy in executing
his supervisory duties. Some of my colleagues, past and present, complained of delays by their
supervisors in marking their work; this was not the case with me. i am also thankful to five
students in the department who did the laborious work of collecting and coding the quantitative
data: Mark Maseko, Morden Mayembe, Austin Mbozi, Diana Phiri and Aaron Mushinge. I
also wish to thank the following institutions and their staff: the NationaJ AIDS STD and Leprosy
Programme, United Nations Childrens' Fund (UNICEF), the Family Health Trust the
Copperbelt Health Education Project (CHEP), UNZA Library. UNZA Computer Centre,
Minitries of Health. Education, and Science and Technology, Co-operative College
Printing Section, the Directorate of Research and Graduate Studies at UNZA and all the
schools, colleges and the two universities and their students whom my research team
visited in Lusaka, Ndola and Kitwe.
I am particularly grateful to the Study Fund, Social Recovery Project, under the World Bank
cooperation with Zambia for having met most of the expenses of the research and the
Directorate of Human Resource Development at Cabinet Office for meeting the rest of the
financial requirements of the research and for granting me study leave and meeting ail the costs
of my studentship.
The individual contributions of Or Musonda Lemba of the Demography Unit in the
Department Social Development Studies at UNZA, during computer data analysis and
cleaning up, and my good friend Dr Douglas Webb at UNICEF, who was the main advisor on
my study on behalf of the Study Fund, were extremely useful and evoke my heartfelt appreciation.
So too were the contributions of Mr Kelly Mulenga in the Education Psychology Department
and the secretaries Mrs Victoria Mphaisha of the Department of Mass Communication,
School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Ms Mirriam Mbata, School of Mines,
Department of Metarllugy and Mineral Processing at UNZA and Mr. Lackson Zikiya Phiri
of Co-operative College Printing Unit for editing and typeseting the final copy of this thesis .
Finally I wish to thank members of my family for their moral support. In particular I am sincerely
thankful to my in-laws for having been patient with our naughty children while I went through
the painstaking process of putting this thesis together.
TABLE OF COIMTENTS
DECLARATION I
APPROVAL ii
DEDICATION .ill
ABSTRACT Iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
UST OF ABBREVIATIONS/ACRONYMS x
UST OF TABLES xi
UST OF FIGURES xil
UST OF APPENDICES xiii
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 HIV/AIDS IN ZAMBIA 1
1.2 Historical development of AIDS ^ 1
1.2.1 Dating the origin of AIDS 2
1.2.2 Attemping to trace the origin of AIDS 2
1.2.3 Geographical spread of HIV/AIDS 3
1.2.4 Progression of HIV/AIDS in Zamfaia6
1.2.5 Future implications of current HIV/AIDS situation in Zambia 7
1.3 THE ANTI-AIDS MEDIA CAMPAIGN IN ZAMBIA10
1.3.1 The billboard as a mass,medium 10
1.3.2 History of billboards 11
1.3.3 Design and dislay 13
1.3.4 Type of billboards/posters used in HIV/AIDS education 13
1.3.5 The anti^^lDS billboards in Zambia 15
1.4 STATtMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM 16
1.5 RATIONALE OF THE STUDY 16
1.6 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY 17
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1.7 HYPOTHESES 17
1.8 METHODOLOGY 18
1.8.1 Data collection 18
1.8.2 Population characteristics 19
1.8.3 Sample size and sampling techniques 19
1.8.4 Data analysis 20
1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS OF CONCEPTS 20
1.10 UTERATURE REVIEW 23
1.10.1 Attitudes: just what are they.9 23
1.10.2 Functions of anitudes 24
1.10.3 The process of attitude information ? 25
1.10.4 Measuring attitudes 26
1.10.5 Attitudes and l)ehaviour: are they related 28
1.10.6 The process and possibility of attitude change 32
1.10.7 The source factors in attitude change 36
1.10.8 The message factors 37
1.10.9 The receiver (Audience) factor 39
1.10.10 The factors relating to context (situation) 40
1.10.11 The mass media factors in attitude, behaviour change 41
1.10.12 The theory of minimal effects of the mass media 43
1.10.13 Mediating forces in media effectiveness 45
1.10.14 Emerging generalisations 48
1.10.15 Conditions under which communication may
effect behaviour change 49
1.10.16 M^s communication and the process of development 50
1.10.17 The mass media in the HIV/AIDS campaign 56
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CHAPTER TWO
RESULTS OF THE STUDY
2.1 Characteristics of the respondents 63
2.2 The students'knowledge of HIV/AIDS 64
2.2.1 Knowledge levels 64
2.2.2 Sources of Information for Knowledge of HIV/AIDS 66
2.3 The students'attitudes about HIV/AIDS 69
2.3.1 Fear of AIDS 69
2.3.2 Number of sexual lovers 69
2.3.3 Attitudes towards condom use 69
2.3.4 Preferred means of avoiding contracting HIV 7 J
2.3.5 Attitudes towards people with AIDS 73
2.4 The students' percejjtions of the antl-AIDS billboards 75
2.4.1 Results from the quantitative billboards survey 75
2.4.2 Description of the billboards visited during site visits 77
2.4.3 The students' perceptions of the HIV/AIDS
billboards from the recorded evaluation forms 80
2.4.4 Results from focus group discussions and tape recorded comments 84
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 DISCUSSION
3.1 The students' knowledge of HIV/AIDS91
3.2 The students'attitudes about HIV/AIDS 97
3.3 The impact of the antiniMDS billboards 102
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
4.1 The sflidents' knowledge of HIV/AIDS 109
4.2 The students'altitudes about HIV/AIDS 113
4.3 The impact of the anti-AIDS billboards 116
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