15th International AIDS Conference Bangkok, Thailand - July 11-16, 2004

Int Conf AIDS 2004 Jul 11-16; 15:(abstract no. MoOrD1064)

Bachman GA, Mucheke S, Ndabamenye P, McClellan I, Mwarogo P
Family Health International, Arlington, United States

ISSUES: While ART adherence appears to improve with increased user knowledge and positive client-provider interaction, few PLWHA and providers take part in the design of treatment literacy strategies.

DESCRIPTION: In Kenya and Rwanda, Family Health International and local partners, employed a participatory approach to the development of strategies that address client's understanding of ART and related health maintenance. PLWHA support group members and health care providers joined communications staff in a series of campaign development workshops that complemented the introduction of ART and OI prophylaxis in local health centers. Resulting messages and materials were then pre-tested among illiterate and low-literacy audiences to ensure broad accessibility.

LESSONS LEARNED: The involvement of PLWHA and health care providers in the development of the literacy campaign resulted in greater recognition and sensitivity to images that were potentially stigmatizing, shorter turn around times between campaign development and implementation, and greater acceptability of the resulting outputs.

RECOMMENDATIONS: A participatory approach to the development of educational campaigns to promote adherence and positive health behaviors, improves the likelihood that resulting outputs will be culturally acceptable and easily understood by potential users. A guide summarizing the process followed in both countries as well as suggestions on how to develop similar low literacy treatment campaigns in other settings will be provided.

040711
MoOrD1064

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