Bridging the Gap: Conference Record [Abstract book, International Conference on AIDS (12th: 1998: Geneva, Switzerland)]

678 Abstracts 33444-33448

12th World AIDS Conference

unwanted developments. The results of the evaluation of this strategy will be
presented.
Lessons learned: The development and use of time-ordered indicators is an
efficient, flexible and useful tool for the evaluation of preventive programs, which
provides an "early warning system" and thus the basis for quick and efficient
reactions.
33444 Monitoring the AIDS pandemic (MAP) network:
Volunteerism and collegiality for worldwide information
dissemination
Mary O'Grady1, R. Lamptey Peter1, J.M. Tarantola Daniel2. 1 Impact/Family
Health International, 2101 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201; 2Harvard
School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Objective: To form a global network of HIV/AIDS specialists with diverse expertise
to provide an independent perspective and disseminate quality and currrent information on the status and trends of the global and regional HIV/AIDS epidemics
and and their impact.
Method: MAP was created in 1996 as a collegial network to enhance the quality, timeliness and dissemination of analyses on the state of HIV/AIDS epidemics
and the efforts to mitigate them. MAP's aim is to make concise and easy-to-read
reports widely available to public health professionals, practitioners concerned
with HIV/AIDS, people living with HIV/AIDS and the public at large by seizing the
opportunities available at regional and global HIV/AIDS conferences. Founded by
the AIDSCAP Project of Family Health International, the Frangois-Xavier Bagnoud
Center for Health and Human Rights of the Harvard School of Public Health and
UNAIDS, MAP relies on contributions of time and knowledge by its 105 members
from around the world. It has held symposia prior to each regional and global
HIV/AIDS conference since December 1995 and has disseminated its reports
at each conference site, making them available to all participants as well as
electronically via several Internet web sites.
Results: Since 1995, MAP has produced analytical reports on Africa (Kampala,
1995, and Abidjan, 1997), Asia and the Pacific (Manila, 1997), Latin America and
the Caribbean (Rio de Janeiro, 1997), the global situation (Vancouver, 1996).
Reports on Central/Eastern Europe and a global update will be released prior to
the 12th World Conference on AIDS. Disseminating thousands of these reports
in various languages has helped advance the understanding of the HIV/AIDS
epidemics and their impact.
Conclusion: MAP has disseminated quality information that is easily and freely
accessible to all those concerned with HIV/AIDS, especially those in developing
countries. However, MAP reports need greater visibility and follow-up to help activate better responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemics nationally, regionally and globally.
S589* / 33445 Using ethnic media to reach multiple language
migrant communities in the Sydney region
Tadgh McMahon. Multicultural HIV/AIDS Service Level 5 QMB, Grose Street
Camperdown NSW, Australia
Issue: Despite extensive HIV/AIDS campaigns in Australia, research indicated
that migrant communities had poor knowledge of HIV/AIDS and poor access
to available services. Ethnic (non-English language) media was identified as a
significant source of these communities perceptions of HIV/AIDS and services.
Project: The project targeted both print and radio media as way of bridging
language, literacy, and cultural barriers to migrant communities. Consultation
with ethnic media journalists led to a pilot publicity campaign in 6 languages,
later extended to 18 languages. The campaign produced and distributed ethnospecific media releases, trained a team of community language spokespeople,
and provided culturally specific pictures. Publicity was generated on a range
of HIV/AIDS issues affecting migrant communities, often in collaboration with
other government and non-government organisations. Feedback from journalists
was incorporated throughout the campaign. Following the success of the pilot
campaign in 1996 an expanded campaign was mounted in 1997.
Results: The project monitored more than 300 instances of coverage, using
campaign materials, in print and on radio across all 18 languages targeted. The
campaign accounted for one third of all HIV/AIDS reporting in media monitored
in 1996. Project evaluation in 1997 indicated that the campaign had achieved
key objectives: significantly increasing the quality and the quantity of HIV/AIDS
coverage; and promoting available HIV/AIDS services in the ethnic media.
Lessons Learned: Involving journalists and listening to their needs facilitated
their responsiveness to the project and its aims. The project provided journalists
with the means to address sensitive HIV/AIDS issues and many of them initiated
their own feature stories on HIV/AIDS. This co-operation between health services
and journalists demonstrates an effective, cost efficient and culturally relevant
way to promote HIV/AIDS health to multiple language migrant communities.
S33446 Are married women talking about AIDS? - Media
exposure to AIDS and discussion with friends or family in

Bombay, India
Nilesh Chatterjee. CHPRD-RAS w-904 Univ Texas School Public Health
UTH-HSC Houston Texas 77225, USA
Objectives: To examine exposure to AIDS-related information in the media and
discussion about AIDS with friends, family and husband among married women,
a group at increasing risk of HIV infection, in Mumbai (Bombay), India.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.
Methods: Three hundred and fifty married women were randomly selected for
face-to-face interviews from among those accompanying patients to 3 municipal
hospitals in northeast Mumbai (Bombay). The instrument was adapted from the
WHO/GPA Phase II KABP Questionnaire on HIV/AIDS.
Results: Of 350 respondents, only 67% (n = 236) had heard of AIDS. Of these
236, 8% (n = 18) had never been exposed to AIDS-related messages in the mass
media (television, radio or newspaper), whereas 31% (n = 71) were exposed at
least once per week in the past 4-weeks and 57% (n = 134) had been exposed
more often. Television was spontaneously identified as the primary source of information about AIDS by 75% (n = 141) of women compared with 7% (n = 14) who
mentioned doctors/clinics and newspapers. Of 197 women who had seen AIDSrelated information on television, 84% (n = 166) watched an entire PSA while 16%
(n = 30) did not. Twenty-three women found the message-content offensive, 43
women cited television PSAs as suitable only for watching alone and 132 women
thought the content appropriate for the entire family. Although 87% (n = 205) of
the 236 women aware of AIDS had been exposed to mass-media messages at
least once in the past 4 weeks, only 54% (n = 128) had ever discussed it with
husband, friends or family in the same period. More women had discussed AIDS
with their husband as a general social problem (39%, n = 89), followed by friends
(36%, n = 84), family members (26%, n = 61) and least with their husband as a
personal relationship issue (15%, n = 26). The likelihood that women discussed
HIV/AIDS with husband as a general issue (p <.01) friends (p =.06), and family
(p <.01) increased with increasing frequency of media exposure. Education was
positively correlated with and significant predictor of media exposure (p -.01).
Conclusion: Television is the single most important source of AIDS-related
information for married women in Bombay. Increasing the frequency of AIDS messages on television will most likely have a positive effect on their AIDS-related
discussion with family and friends. Among women aware of AIDS, most have
been exposed to media messages, yet only half of them are actually talking about
it. Women are most likely to discuss AIDS with their husbands, but for effective
behavioral interventions in married couples, it is important to ascertain the content
and context of their communication.
S587*/33447 Sensitizing print media to AIDS and reproductive
health issues
Sadhna Mohan. C445 Chittranjan Park Post Box 7360, New Delhi, India
Issue: Print media gives insufficient, poor quality and sometimes inaccurate coverage to AIDS and reproductive health issues. It needs to be sensitized to take
up advocacy of AIDS issues.
Project: India has a plethora of newspapers and magazines which command
great respect for their news and views. Using this media, at minimal cost, to give
accurate and analytical information on all aspects of the AIDS epidemic is the
objective of Project Nexus. This project is run by journalists, who give leads and
authentic background information to journalists all over the country. The journalists use this information to develop full-length articles in the newspaper/magazine
they work for or write for. The Indian language press is also tapped. As debate
on policy issues/advocacy is done through respected journalists the worth of information routed through them is many times more than that of an advertisement,
put out at much more cost.
Results: A wide array of articles giving new insights into the AIDS epidemic
and dispelling myths have been put out in mainstream media, both in English
and the Indian languages. Annually, over 40 articles are generated. A network of
over 50 journalists has been established all over the country, to whom story ideas
are given. The output generated by the project is compiled in a newsletter called
"Nexus", (4,000 copies) which is circulated in the main to journalists, although
it also goes to policy makers, doctors, researchers and NGOs. The newsletter
becomes a resource and a source of inspiration to journalists as it links journalists
in one part of the country to stories put out from another part of the country. The
project has been emulated in Nepal.
Lessons Learned: It is possible to stimulate the media on issues of AIDS and
reproductive health if journalists' hunger for news is aroused and assuaged by
professionals.
|33448 Messages on AIDS from a popular African television
series "AIDS in the City"
Zigre Alexis Don1, Seth Robert Eiger2, Tchelley Hanny3. Population Services
International, 22. BP 1291, Abidjan, 22, C6te d'lvoire
Objective: To reinforce and project AIDS-related messages for social education,
using the popular media Channels.
Background: In 1995, a television film series "AIDS in the City I" (eleven
13-minutes episodes) was produced and first broadcast in Cote d'lvoire on the
national channel in 1996. Thanks to the Ivorian reggae-man, Alpha Blondy's song
- especially created for the film - and thanks to the interpretation of the roles by
several popular Ivorian actors, the series soon became one of the top TV program
favorites. The first run was so successful that, in 1997, another 20 episodes were

filmed and broadcast in both C6te d'lvoire and Burkina Faso. TV5 carried the
series throughout its summer special programs for Africa.
Methodology: To tap into the demonstrated reservoir of public interest and
repeat, strengthen, and vary major messages an AIDS, the series' producers use
various communication strategies in C6te d'lvoire:
(1) Production and broadcast of a weekly 10-minute TV game with questions
on the film;