HIV/AIDS messages as a spur for conversation among young South Africans?

Abstract

HIV/AIDS messages are often deliberately puzzling so as to increase the chance for them to be used as food for conversation. The South African health organisation 'loveLife,' for instance, uses messages that include complicated rhetorical expressions in their media campaigns, reasoning that those who find the messages puzzling and wonder about their meaning will be inclined to discuss the messages with their peers. In order to test the assumption that puzzlement about health messages is related to keenness to talk about these messages, structured interviews were held with 30 black learners, ages 15 to 19, from Limpopo Province, South Africa, about the messages of six HIV/ AIDS posters and six HIV/AIDS radio advertisements from 'loveLife' or another South African health organisation. No support was found for the assumption that presenting a puzzling health message will contribute to engaging the recipients in discussion. The participants indicated that they were willing to discuss the themes addressed in either a poster or radio advertisement because they appreciated the message and felt that its content was relevant to them, rather than because the message was puzzling or difficult to understand. The participants' overall actual comprehension of the messages, however, proved to be strikingly low.

We get you: combining proximisation and the coordinated management of meaning approach to analyse legitimisation in a text on HIV and AIDS

“…Orbe and Camara's (2010) study of discrimination also offers a CMM framework for verifying whether respondents agree with the way their experiences are constructed, in terms of contracts, episodes, life scripts and archetypes. In combination, Orbe and Camara (2010) and Lubinga et al (2010) may be used to investigate the personal appeal of the approach taken in this text. Such research could yield suggestions as to the way this approach can be moulded to suit the needs and experiences of students at different South African universities, and perhaps beyond.…”

“…However, to further investigate this contention in terms of the CMM-proximisation pattern, further audience-reception data are needed. Lubinga et al (2010) offer guidelines for structured interviews aimed at assessing the accuracy of readers' comprehension of an HIV text, as well as the degree to which the text appeals to them on a personal level. These guidelines may be exploited to examine whether respondents have noticed the contract on offer, as well as their interpretation of its terms, especially its stipulations for the kind of treatment one should demand from, but also apply to, others.…”

Drie soorten boodschappen in de gezondheidscommunicatie

“…Is het werkelijk zo dat gebrek aan begrip van een cryptische gezondheidsboodschap ertoe leidt dat ontvangers over de betekenis daarvan in gesprek gaan? In Lubinga et al (2010) wordt een van de deelnemers geciteerd die de tekst in de boodschap van loveLife 'Prove your love, protect me' abusievelijk begreep als Having sex with him means that you will be proving your love for him (p. 182). Volgens hen is het juist aannemelijk dat lezers en kijkers alleen dan over een gezondheidsboodschap willen praten als ze denken dat ze de betekenis begrijpen.…”

“…De resultaten van deze studies, die allemaal zijn uitgevoerd onder studenten en leerlingen in de provincie Limpopo in Zuid-Afrika(Jansen & Janssen, 2010;Lubinga, Schulze, Jansen, & Maes, 2010;Lubinga et al, 2014) ondersteunen noch de claims van loveLife, noch de verwachtingenvan Hoeken et al (2009). De resultaten van deze studies, die allemaal zijn uitgevoerd onder studenten en leerlingen in de provincie Limpopo in Zuid-Afrika(Jansen & Janssen, 2010;Lubinga, Schulze, Jansen, & Maes, 2010;Lubinga et al, 2014) ondersteunen noch de claims van loveLife, noch de verwachtingenvan Hoeken et al (2009).…”

Uncovering Factors Influencing Interpersonal Health Communication

“…Jansen and Janssen (2010); Lubinga, Schulze, Jansen, and Maes (2010); and Lubinga, Jansen, and Maes (2014) have studied factors that determine whether or not people are inclined to talk when triggered by a specific health message. However, little is known about what interpersonal communication on health issues (interpersonal health communication in the rest of this article) looks like when it occurs naturally, that is, without being triggered by a health campaign.…”