S Afr Med J. 1991 Apr 20;79(8):496-9. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
Shopkeepers at 88 informal sector shops in the black township of
Khayelitsha were interviewed to explore whether such shops should be
considered as venues for the dissemination of AIDS prevention
information and condoms through social marketing programmes. The
existence of a variety of media and interpersonal information sources on
the premises, the presence of opinion leadership and the willingness of
several owners to distribute posters and pamphlets and sell condoms
suggests that such shops should be further investigated as avenues for
AIDS prevention efforts. A relationship was found between the degree to
which a shop exhibited aspects of social influence and the degree to
which it was established in terms of infrastructure, income and
experience of personnel. It was concluded that shopkeepers might be an
important group to target early in a programme, because they might then
influence others' reaction to it. Finally, it would be important for
shop personnel and other township residents to be part of the design,
planning and implementation of AIDS prevention programmes.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/*PREVENTION & CONTROL Commerce Food
Handling Health Education/*METHODS Information Services South Africa
Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Urban Population JOURNAL ARTICLE