Evaluation of Behavioural Change Campaigns on HIV/AIDS Patients in Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The continued upsurge in the spate of the spread of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria has becoming a perturbing paradox that demands a more critical evaluation. The spate of HIV/AIDS pandemic in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria presents a worrisome scenario. Such a paradox becomes more pernicious considering the various campaigns launched by successive administrations in the state through its agency – The Kogi State Agency for the Control of AIDS (KOSACA) to create awareness, direct people to where they could be tested, counselled, monitored, evaluated and cared for, people’s responses to this carrion call remained low as the indices show. In the talons of a seemingly vicious circle of defeated efforts despite communications for behavioural change, this research seeks to investigate and evaluate the appropriateness of the channels and language of communication to the target population. Through a survey of persons living with HIV/AIDS, the research discovers that that pattern of communication flows to the patients especially HIV/AIDS was effective. This same mode of communication flow cannot be said to be effective for the general public as it worked for a controlled group like the ones under investigation. The paper recommends that  the channels through which this information is passed to the target audience should be properly scrutinized and the content of the message too, properly vetted and adapted to a specific audience as a more generalized content fails in it intent.

Keywords: behaviour change, HIV/AIDS, health communications, language, communication pattern.