Mass Media Campaign to promote HIV Testing

I will create a mass media campaign to expose the large population in the world to the unknown knowledge on HIV testing through the commonly used mass media channels such as newspapers, magazines, and televisions. The mass media campaign will help in producing positive changes in HIV testing and also prevent the negative impacts on people who aren’t accustomed to HIV testing. This paper will explore a mass media campaign that will discuss the different aspects of HIV testing.

A succinct problem statement

A succinct problem statement on HIV testing will offer an overview of the issue, needs, and the problems facing the world on negligence on HIV testing, and also suggest ways to address the issue. A succinct problem statement commonly has six components, as they are discussed below (Berman, Card, and Solomon, 2008).

1. The vision concerning the problem: The idea of this campaign is to have a world with no HIV infections and those who have HIV and AIDS to live with equality and the support they need. The campaign will help in creating awareness, thus slowing the spread of HIV infection in the world.

2. Definition of the population affected: HIV/AIDS has no boundaries because everybody in the world is vulnerable to the disease no matter the age. The disease has affected every corner of the globe. However, some countries are heavily affected than others, where sub-Saharan Africa remains the foremost seriously influenced within the world.

3. Evidence for the scope/severity of the issue: Researches reported that around the world, about 32.7 to 44 million individuals are living with HIV, and about twenty-one percent aren’t aware they have the virus. According to these statistics, Sub-Saharan Africa remains most seriously influenced, with about 1 in every 25 grown-ups living with HIV, thus accounting for over two-thirds of the individuals living with HIV around the world.

4. Description of the likely causes of the issue and the crevices between wants and accessible administrations: The human immunodeficiency virus leads to AIDS. One can get the virus from contact with semen, blood, and also the virginal fluids. Most of the affected people get the virus from having unprotected sex with infected people or sharing needles with an infected individual.

5. Ideas on how to address the issue, based on current inquiry and community points of view: Based on the community perspectives the campaign has come up with ideas to resolve the problem such as Knowing the facts, being aware of one’s attitudes and behaviors, choosing one’s words carefully, supporting people, focusing on the positive and including everyone.

6. Indicators showing that the issue has been solved: Many indicators show that the problem has been addressed such as condom usage, people being aware of their status, safe male circumcision, and needles and syringes being distributed per person who injects drugs. These indicators have aided in reducing the number of infections, and they have contributed a large part in creating awareness of the disease.

A strategic objective (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Framed)

A strategic objective will aid our campaign in describing what it will do to try to fulfill its mission due to the issue on HIV testing, and it will be worded in a way that makes it specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-framed as discussed below (HIV.gov, 2020).

1. Specific: The society should be taught on the importance of HIV testing, where to get free tests, and how to handle the situation before and after testing.

2. Measurable: The accuracy and the unwavering quality of the HIV tests will be measured concurring to their specificity and sensitivity. A test with high sensitivity can detect a minute amount of antibodies.

3. Attainable: The goal will be attained by offering education on HIV testing in schools, churches, and health centers to create awareness thus a large number of people will be convinced of being tested for HIV.

4. Relevant: The tests will aid in determining whether one is infected because the virus leads to AIDS. Also, some of the tests will help in checking for antibodies that the safe framework produces in response to HIV contamination.

5. Time-framed: This objective has to be achieved by the end of this year. This will have helped in creating awareness and reducing the number of infections that could have occurred.

Three particular portions of the target populace

As we discussed in paragraph two, sub-Saharan has a unique number of HIV patients recorded within the world (Kharsany and Karim, 2020). It is our target population to educate on the importance of conducting HIV tests, which will aid in creating self-awareness leading to the reduction of the infection. Thus people will know their status, and the victims will be guided on the steps to take to prevent the transmission of the virus to their partners. Lesotho, Botswana, and Swaziland are the leading countries in this part of Africa with the highest number of infections worldwide, and they are the three particular sections of the target populace.

A message (key promise) for each segment

The sub-Saharan part of Africa that has recorded the highest number of HIV infections has three specific segments, which are Botswana, Lesotho, and Swaziland as chosen in paragraph four. Below the campaign will discuss a message (key promise) for each segment avoiding the fear appeals.

1. Botswana: This country has the fourth-highest HIV prevalence in the world, and the prevalence has been increasing every year. Though over the recent years the country has demonstrated a firm commitment in response to its HIV pandemic, thus becoming an example in sub-Saharan Africa. The campaign promises to make sure the HIV test will be conducted freely in Botswana and also children, the youths and the aged will be educated on the benefits of HIV testing liberally.

2. Lesotho: In the year 2018, the country had over three hundred and forty thousand people living with HIV. The pandemic in this country has killed a lot of people in recent years. This year the country has shown some improvements as several people are aware of their status and also the children, the youth, and the aged are aware of the infection. The campaign promises that by the year 2020, it will make sure that individuals living with the virus will know their status, and people who know their HIV-positive status will be getting to treatment.

3. Swaziland: Today, one of three grown-ups in Swaziland is contaminated with HIV, and the pandemic is even more shocking as forty-three percent of pregnant women are affected. In the year 2011, thirty-two percent of the Swazi population was infected. Over recent years the country has made strides against the HIV pandemic, which has significantly reduced the number of infections. By the end of this year, the campaign will make sure that the government provides antiretroviral drugs free of charge to individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

A media channel for each segment

Each of the three segments needs a media channel to conduct the tests. Various mass media channels will aid in increasing an individual’s probability of testing for HIV and their HIV related score  (Lompo and Bango, 2020). Events, billboards and radio will help in increasing the probability of individuals for HIV testing by ten percent. Mass media channels will help in promoting HIV testing and HIV related knowledge thus the campaign will assign a media channel to each segment as discussed below.

1. Botswana: Events will be of importance in HIV testing in Botswana as they will aid in facilitating the expansion of HIV testing and counseling services.

2. Swaziland: Billboards will be of importance in HIV testing in Swaziland because they will be displayed alongside the roads, which will create awareness for a large population in Botswana thus many individuals will go for the HIV tests.

3. Lesotho: Radio, which is the most commonly used media channel, will help in people’s awareness of the ongoing tests, thus increasing the number of individuals who are willing to get tested.

A plan for scheduling the dissemination

The information on HIV testing will have to be spread to the public without direct feedback from the audience thus will help in creating awareness. Individuals will come to know the importance of HIV testing and will ensure the success of HIV/AIDS prevention and programs. The campaign plan will address the reason for the outreach, message to be shared, the group of onlookers for the awareness, strategies of sharing the messages, the timing of the outreach, and the method for assessing the victory of the dispersal exertion as examined underneath (PBRNs, 2018).

1. Purpose: The plan will aim to raise awareness, promote, engage, and inform on HIV tests.

2. Audience: The three specific segments will be the targeted audience thus they will be interested in HIV testing, and it results will be identified and informed.

3. Message: The plan will need to outline the key messages which ought to be clear, focused on, significant, rehashed, and truthfully adjusted.

4. Methods: There are a variety of dissemination methods in which the campaign needs to choose wisely to convey the message to the targeted audience, thus achieving the campaign purpose. These methods include journal articles, reports, flyers, press releases, websites, and others.

5. Timing: At the start of the campaign, the plan will focus on creating awareness, and in the end, the plan will focus on highlighting the accomplishments and the deliverables.

6. Evaluation of the Dissemination: To determine if the plan was well chosen and successful, the dissemination activities will be checked to see if they have achieved their aims.

A plan to evaluate the objective

A plan to evaluate the objective is of importance as it will ensure the activities of the campaign will be as effective as they can be. The plan will help in identifying areas for improvement and aid in the realization of the campaign’s goals more efficiently. There are many benefits of evaluating a plan such as optimizing for success and discovering the story behind the results and pave the way for the campaign improvements. The campaign will employ the commonly known evaluation plan by the name SWOT analysis, which analyzes strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats as discussed below (Stonehouse, 2018).

1. Strengths: HIV testing is a way of treatment that is accompanied by HIV prevention, which will save lives and prevents HIV/AIDS transmission.

2. Weaknesses: Individuals who find that they are HIV positive suffer problems such as rejection, stigma, discrimination, difficulties in coping with the issue, and human rights abuses.

3. Opportunities: HIV testing creates awareness among individuals and also reduces the number of infections, thus a large number of people will avail themselves for the tests.

4. Threats: Individuals who find that they have the virus tend to be angry, depressed, and always have a desire to avenge thus their main goal becomes spreading the disease in ways possible to other people.

References

HIV.gov. (2020). Who Should Get Tested?. Retrieved 13 July 2020, from https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/hiv-testing/learn-about-hiv-testing/who-should-get-tested.

Kharsany, A., & Karim, Q. (2020). HIV Infection and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa: Current Status, Challenges, and Opportunities. Retrieved 13 July 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4893541/

Lompo, M., & Bango, J. (2020). Retrieved 13 July 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326777798_How_Does_Exposure_to_Mass_Media_affect_HIV_Testing_and_HIV-Related_Knowledge_Among_Adolescents_Evidence_From_Uganda.

PBRNs. (2018). Quick-Start Direct to Dispersal for Practice-Based Inquire about Systems. Available at:https://pbrn.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/AHRQ%20PBRN%20Dissemination%20QuickStart%20Guide_0.pdf

Stonehouse, D. (2018). SWOT: what is it all about, and how do you use it?. British Journal Of Healthcare Assistants, 12(12), 617-619. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjha.2018.12.12.617

 Berman, J., Card, J., and Solomon, J., 2008. Tools For Building Culturally Competent HIV Prevention Programs: With CD-ROM. Springer Publishing Company.