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“Why should I?”: on selecting the content of persuasive HIV counselling and testing messages for students at a previously disadvantaged university in South Africa

on selecting the content of persuasive HIV counselling and testing messages for students at a previously disadvantaged university in South Africa

Anouk Broersma
Radboud University Nijmegen
Carel Jansen
University of Groningen
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“Why should I?”: on selecting the content of persuasive HIV counselling and testing messages for students at a previously disadvantaged university in South Africa. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 31(1), 19-35. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v31i1.2075
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  • Submited: November 10, 2022
  • Published: November 10, 2022

Abstract

This study aimed to discover what specific beliefs of students at a South African university
should be addressed when trying to persuade them to go for HIV counselling and testing (HCT).
The participants were 113 students from a previously disadvantaged university. The students
completed a questionnaire that included questions about participants’ HCT intentions and about
possible predictors of such intentions. Students’ HCT intention proved to be positively related to
their perception of having control over their HCT behaviour (self-efficacy), and to their perception
of social pressure towards going for HCT (perceived norm). The students’ belief that they would
not be either too afraid or too stressed to go for HCT contributed positively to their self-efficacy,
as did the belief that they would be able to deal with the possibly disadvantageous outcome of the
HIV test. The students’ belief that their parents would approve of their going for HCT proved to be
a strong and positive predictor of their perceived norm. Furthermore, perceived susceptibility to
HIV/AIDS was positively related to HCT intention, and stigmatising attitude towards people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) was negatively related to HCT intention. These outcomes suggest
that in trying to convince black students in South Africa to go for HCT, developers of promotion
messages should focus on students’ susceptibility to HIV, on how to deal with the possibility
that their parents might not approve of their going for HCT, and on how to cope with a possibly
disadvantageous test outcome.

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How to Cite
“Why should I?”: on selecting the content of persuasive HIV counselling and testing messages for students at a previously disadvantaged university in South Africa. (2022). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 31(1), 19-35. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v31i1.2075

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