Abstract

No abstract

HIV/AIDS is a perennial health issue in South Africa; the disease was the major cause of the 200,000 deaths in South Africa in 2013. The menace has increased with the increase in the number of people living with HIV/AIDS in South Africa, despite the rigorous preventive strategies that were adopted in the country. This article explores localism in communication as a tool of health development in promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and knowledge in Africa, with a particular reference to South Africa. This article draws attention to the various localized channels of communicating development messages in relation to their significance in facilitating HIV/AIDS awareness and knowledge.

The study investigated gender differences in attitudes towards sexuality in the context of HIV/AIDS among undergraduate students. The cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,498 randomly selected students. The majority of the students interviewed were females at 53.9% (M= 20.24, SD=2.98) compared to 46.1% males (M=21.67, SD=3.35). More Males (16%) responded in the affirmative with regard to having more than one sexual partner than female students (10%). Also, more male students (32.7%) than female students (18.6%) indicated that using condom reduces sexual pleasure and over 40% of both sets of respondents indicated that sexual intercourse should only be done between married couples. This study underscores the need to strengthen HIV/AIDS programmes to include issues on sexuality and encourage undergraduate students to attend these programmes.