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Interpersonal Communication (IPC) for HIV Prevention
PSI focuses extensively on interpersonal communication (IPC) as a
BCC channel. Proven to promote behavior change, IPC is a communication
approach that takes place between a trained agent and a member or several
members of a specific target population. It is an ideal technique to
engage hard-to-reach groups such as men who have sex with men (MSM),
sex workers, injecting drug users (IDUs), or uniformed services personnel.
The goal of IPC interactions is to support behavior change by addressing
the underlying causes of HIV risk within the target population and
to improve skills and self-efficacy among high risk groups. Often complementing
mass media campaigns and product promotion with this powerful tool,
PSI IPC programs confront pressing health issues that contribute to
the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Examples of IPC include:
• Discussion groups among IDUs to encourage harm reduction;
• Client/provider interactions in health clinic settings
to encourage voluntary HIV counseling and testing (VCT);
• One-on-one outreach with sex workers in brothel areas to encourage condom
use;
• Small group workshops on partner reduction for MSM;
• Peer education among youth to promote abstinence.
• IPC to Reach High-Risk Groups
IPC techniques are ideal to target hard-to-reach populations that are often
distrustful of outsiders. To reach MSM, PSI/Romania initiated a popular
opinion leader (POL) approach which targets influential members of a social
group and empowers them to endorse new ideas and behaviors during everyday
interactions with their peers. People listen to and trust their peers and
are, therefore, more likely to adopt healthy behaviors endorsed by opinion
leaders. Romania’s program trained POLs to discuss condom use as well as
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and VCT with others in their social
networks, which has led to increased VCT.
In partnership with USAID and with support from AIDSMark, PSI/India
implemented an integrated HIV/AIDS/STI intervention program known as
“Operation Lighthouse” (OPL) to reach high risk groups. Selected target
groups include sex workers, truckers, fisherman, and port workers.
Most communication is conducted through diverse and intense IPC activities
that focus on one message for 3-6 months, such as increasing risk perception
about having multiple sexual partners before moving on to a health
new message. Messages are conveyed using various forms of edutainment
and hands-on activities and are supported with constant STI and VCT
service promotion. OPL also focuses on reaching 20% of all target individuals
each month with each type of activity, which results in reaching each
individual more than seven times over the year.
• IPC to Complement Mass Media Programs
IPC is also used to complement mass media in order to comprehensively address
a health issue. Through AIDSMark, PSI developed an IPC program, “Safe from
Harm,” to increase the quantity and improve the quality of parent/child communication
about sex, HIV/AIDS, and adolescent social pressures. Safe from Harm was
designed to complement the mass media component of the “Delayed Debut” regional
BCC campaign, as lack of parent/child communication was identified by research
as a key barrier to abstinence. In Zimbabwe, PSI staff worked with representatives
of the faith-based community to customize program manuals with scripture,
train religious leaders as program facilitators, and provide continued technical
and research support to implementing congregations. Since program launch
in September 2005, 140 religious leaders have been trained and 1568 parents
and 1633 adolescents have participated.
• IPC to Create Demand for Products and Services
PSI uses IPC as a means to create demand for and promote products. In Uganda,
an innovative package of health strategies is promoted among people living
with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) to help delay the progression of HIV to AIDS and enable
them to live longer and healthier lives by preventing opportunistic infections
and transmission of HIV to others. The Basic Care Package, an easy-to-use,
patient-managed system, includes a broad-spectrum antibiotic (co-tramoxazole),
insecticide-treated bednets, household water treatment and condoms as well
as information about VCT, prevention of mother to child transmission, and
family planning services. The package is supported by a national communications
campaign that includes mass media, printed educational materials and IPC
activities to promote positive living and to provide information on Package
products. The basic care package will soon be launched in PSI programs in
Cote D’Ivoire and Kenya.
• Improving the Quality of IPC
PSI continually strives to improve the quality of IPC program development
and implementation. AIDSMark has developed a toolkit that provides guidelines
on how to design an IPC program. A participatory IPC workshop aiming to build
the IPC capacity of PSI’s local offices helps participants better understand
the principles of IPC programming and how to problem-solve within existing
IPC programs has been conducted for staff from PSI offices in Rwanda, Zimbabwe,
Zambia, and Swaziland.
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