The Relationship between Access to Mass Media and HIV/AIDS Related Knowledge, Beliefs and Behaviours in Kenya
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Date
2014
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Psychology
Abstract
We scrutinized the association between access to mass media and HIV/AIDS related knowledge,
beliefs and behaviours in Kenya. Methods: Data on a representative sample of Kenyan
women between 15 - 30 years of age (n = 3909) was retrieved from the Kenyan demographic and
health survey (DHS 2008) and analyzed using Chi-square tests and binary logistic regression. Results:
Media use was common with over 70% of participants using radio at least once a week. Between
3% - 30% of participants had poor to inadequate knowledge/beliefs about HIV/AIDS, with
variations depending on demographic and social factors such as age, education, literacy, wealth
and residential area. HIV/AIDS knowledge, beliefs and behaviours were associated with exposure
to media, even after control for possible co-variation with social and demographic factor. Conclusion:
Despite wide exposure to media among young Kenyan women, substantial proportions have
poor to inadequate knowledge of the aetiology, risk/protective factors and control measures of
HIV/AIDS. Yet, such knowledge was positively associated with media use. Media thus could ideally
be used to implement a comprehensive awareness campaign in the general population about the
aetiology, risk/protective factors and control measures in HIV/AIDS.
Description
Keywords
HIV/AIDS, Behavior, Knowledge, Media, Women, Kenya
Citation
Muli, I., & Lawoko, S. (2014). The relationship between access to mass media and HIV/AIDS related knowledge, beliefs and behaviors in Kenya. Psychology , 2014 . http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/psych.2014.57084