Media use and HIV/AIDS knowledge: a knowledge gap perspective

Despite the widespread utilization of the mass media in HIV/AIDS prevention, little is known about the knowledge gap that results from disparities in mass media use. This study examined the relationship between HIV/AIDS-related mass media use and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among urban and rural resi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health promotion international 2014-12, Vol.29 (4), p.739-750
Main Authors: BEKALU, MESFIN AWOKE, EGGERMONT, STEVEN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome - psychology
Adolescent
Adult
Age Factors
DEBATES
Ethiopia
Female
Health Education
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Promotion
HIV Infections - psychology
Humans
Information Dissemination
Male
Mass Media - statistics & numerical data
Risk-Taking
Rural Population - statistics & numerical data
Sex Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Urban Population - statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
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Summary:Despite the widespread utilization of the mass media in HIV/AIDS prevention, little is known about the knowledge gap that results from disparities in mass media use. This study examined the relationship between HIV/AIDS-related mass media use and HIV/AIDS-related knowledge among urban and rural residents of northwestern Ethiopia. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that HIV/AIDSrelated mass media use has both sequestering and mainstreaming effects in certain segments of the study population, although it was not a significant predictor of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge in the total population. The knowledge gaps between individuals with high and low education and between individuals who experience high and low levels of interpersonal communication about HIV/AIDS narrowed as HIV/AIDS-related media use increased, but the gap between urban and rural residents widened. The widening gap could be explained by differences in perceptions of information salience and several theoretical assumptions. Current mass media information campaigns, which are often prepared and broadcast from urban centers, may not only fail to improve the HIV/AIDS knowledge of the rural populace but also put rural populations at a disadvantage relative to their urban counterparts. Communication interventions informed by socioecological models might be helpful to redress and/or narrow the widening knowledge gap between urban and rural residents.
ISSN:0957-4824
1460-2245
DOI:10.1093/heapro/dat030