ABSTRACT
Since the first case of HIV and AIDS in
Nigeria, and the
epidemics continually evolved with, Nigeria having a pathetic
situation of fluctuating prevalence rate. In the bid to forestall this
undulating situation of HIV and AIDS prevalence rate, NACA published the
National HIV and AIDS BCC Strategy. Despite the availability of the document, Nigeria still experienced fluctuated HIV
prevalence rate. In 2008, NACA launched
the revised HIV and AIDS NPP for Nigeria, to provide the States with
minimum package of prevention activities. Drawing from the NPP, the National HIV and AIDS BCC Strategy, 2009-2014
was published with the major goal to reduce the rate of spread of HIV infection in Nigeria by
25% by year 2014. The study, therefore evaluated the implementation of
this document in the prevention of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria.
The study adopted the qualitative design
with a study population of thirteen HIV and AIDS implementing organisations
registered with NACA in 2008. Sample size of three HIV and AIDS implementing
organisations located were selected using the simple random sampling technique
and the purposive sampling to select two study areas; Ogun and Oyo States of
the South-west Nigeria. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on Key
Informants from the three HIV and AIDS implementing organisations, selected
staff and AIDS professionals to solicit information for appropriate evaluation.
The face and content validity were adopted to ensure that each item on the
measuring instrument had logical connection to research objectives and
questions. Reliability test was carried out by administering the research
instrument to two respondents who had knowledge of the document under
investigation. The research instrument of unstructured
interview guide was self-administered to the key Informants. Interview
responses from the key Informants were transcribed and content analysed based
on identified themes in the objectives and research questions of the study.
Result showed that the communication strategy employed
by NACA in the implementation of the document under review met the set goal
of ensuring media message harmonisation, consistency and effective. The
fluctuation of HIV and AIDS prevalence rate within the period of 2011 to 2015
was addressed; stemming the rate of fluctuation from 4.1% in 2010 to 3.1% by
2015.This identified 3.1% HIV prevalence
rate in Nigeria is commensurate to the set goal of NACA, as the agency met and
surpassed the goal of reducing the rate of the spread of HIV infection in
Nigeria by 7.6% reduction. The operational plan of the document under review
provided the implementation modalities with players represented at all levels
of society. The M&E process as integrated in the NNRIMS and the
Operational Plan, 2007-2010 were adopted as the M&E framework.
The study
concluded that the implementation of the document under investigation in the
prevention of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria was justifiably successful, and the
prevalence rate of HIV infection was stemmed. The study recommended that the NACA continues the dissemination of HIV
and AIDS information to the Nigeria citizenry to maintain this achievement.
Keywords: Behaviour Change, Development Communication, Evaluation, Communication Strategy, Prevention.
ABBREVIATIONS
AIDS – Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome
ANC – Ante-Natal
Clinics
ARFH – Association
for Reproductiveand Family Health
ART – Anti-Retroviral Therapy
ARV – Anti-Retroviral
BCC – Behaviour Change
Communication
CiSHAN – Civil
Society for HIV and AIDS in Nigeria
CRH – Centre for the Right to Health
CSO – Civil Society Organization
FCSW – Female
Commercial Sex Workers
FHI – Family Health
International
FMOH – Federal Ministry of Health
FSW – Female Sex Workers
HEAP – HIV/AIDS
Emergency Action Plan
HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
IBBSS – Integrated Biological and Behavioural
Surveillance Survey
ICAP – International
Centre for AIDS Care and Treatment Programme
IDUs – Injecting
Drug Users
LACA – Local
Action Committee on AIDS
LGA – Local Government Area
NBS – National Bureau of Statistics
M&E – Monitoring
and Evaluation
MSM
– Men who have Sex with Men
NACA – National Agency for the Control of AIDS
NARHS – National
HIV/AIDS Reproductive Health Survey
NGO – Non-Governmental
Organisation
NNRIMS – Nigeria
National Response Information Management System
NOP – NNRIMS Operational Plan
NPP – National Prevention Plan
OI – Opportunistic Infections
OVC – Orphans
and Vulnerable Children
PATHS – Partnerships for Transforming Health Systems
PLWHA – People
Living with HIV and AIDS
PMTCT – Prevention
of Mother-to-Child Transmission
PWDs – People
with Disabilities
SACA – State
Agency for the Control of AIDS
SFH – Society for Family Health
STIs – Sexually Transmitted Infections
TB – Tuberculosis
UNAIDS – Joint United
Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS
USAID – United
States Agency for International Development
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
- Background to the Study
Development communication as a purposive communication driven by the need for positive change and improvement of life, situation or something constitutes the focus of health communication. With the emergence of development communication in the 1950s (Imoh, 2007, p. 20), and the recognition to development in the early 1960s (Moemeka, 1994 p. 23); many wonder if this discourse amongst scholars has impacted on health communication particularly HIV and AIDS in Nigeria. The human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS) is one of the greatest natural challenges that have become a bane and concern for humans in recent times (Ilo & Adeyemi, 2010, p. 1). The impact of the development communication discourse amongst scholars on the health communication of HIV and AIDS prevention in Nigeria calls for evaluation. Globally, HIV and AIDS epidemic has remained a major public health, social, economic and developmental challenge (Nigerian Health Review, 2006 & UNAIDS Global Report, 2010). The technical report of the 2010 national HIV Sero-prevalence Sentinel Survey reveals that:
The HIV and AIDS pandemic has continued to constitute serious health and socio economic challenges for more than two decades. In underdeveloped and developing countries, it has reversed many of the health and developmental gains over the past three decades as reflected by indices such as life expectancy at birth and infant mortality rate among others. (Federal Ministry of Health, 2010, p. 2)
According to Kanki and Adeyi (2006,
p. 4), the first case of HIV and AIDS in Nigeria was reported in 1986, and the HIV
and AIDS epidemics have continued to evolve in Nigeria
since this period (Federal Ministry Health, 2010, p. 2). In 1991, the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH)
conducted the first sentinel sero-prevalence survey in Nigeria. In this survey,
and in subsequent surveys conducted in 1993, 1999, and 2001; pregnant women
attending antenatal clinics (ANCs), patients with sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), patients with tuberculosis (TB), and female commercial sex
workers (FCSWs) provided the population for HIV sero-prevalence estimates (Oruonye, 2011, p. 104).This
first sentinel surveillance survey showed the national HIV and
AIDS prevalence rate to stand at 1.8% in 1991 (FMOH, 2010, p. 2); and the prevalence
rate steadily increased from 1.8% in 1991, to 3.8% in 1993, 4.5% in 1995, 5.4%
in 1999, and 5.8% in 2001.
Nigeria had a grip of this undulating growth of the HIV and AIDS epidemic, with the national adult infection rate at 5.8% in 2001 but witnessed a decline to 5.0% in 2003 (FMOH, 2001; 2004). Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation with a population estimated at well over 120 million in 2002. The National Policy on HIV and AIDS of 2003, indicate that more than 3.5 million Nigerians were infected with the virus in 2002. In the same year, HIV and AIDS epidemic killed 1.7 million people, orphaned 1.5 million children, which totalled the 3.5 million Nigerians living with the virus in 2002 (Peterson & Obileye, 2002, p. 3).
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL HIV AND AIDS BEHAVIOUR CHANGE COMMUNICATION STRATEGY, 2009-2014 IN THE PREVENTION OF HIV AND AIDS IN NIGERIA
