Evaluating use of mass-media communication intervention ‘MTV-Shuga’ on increased awareness and demand for HIV and sexual health services by adolescent girls and young women in South Africa: an observational study

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of exposure to MTV Shuga:Down South’ (MTVShuga-DS) during the scale-up of combination HIV-prevention interventions on awareness and uptake of sexual reproductive health (SRH) and HIV-prevention services by adolescent girls and young women (AGYW).DesignOne longitudinal and three cross-sectional surveys of representative samples of AGYW.SettingAGYW in four South African districts with high HIV prevalence (>10%) (May 2017 and September 2019).Participants6311 AGYW aged 12–24.MeasuresUsing logistic regression, we measured the relationship between exposure to MTV Shuga-DS and awareness of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), condom use at last sex, uptake of HIV-testing or contraception, and incident pregnancy or herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) infection.ResultsWithin the rural cohort 2184 (85.5%) of eligible sampled individuals were enrolled, of whom 92.6% had at least one follow-up visit; the urban cross-sectional surveys enrolled 4127 (22.6%) of eligible sampled individuals. Self-report of watching at least one MTV Shuga-DS episode was 14.1% (cohort) and 35.8% (cross-section), while storyline recall was 5.5% (cohort) and 6.7% (cross-section). In the cohort, after adjustment (for HIV-prevention intervention-exposure, age, education, socioeconomic status), MTVShuga-DS exposure was associated with increased PrEP awareness (adjusted OR (aOR) 2.06, 95% CI 1.57 to 2.70), contraception uptake (aOR 2.08, 95% CI 1.45 to 2.98) and consistent condom use (aOR 1.84, 95% CI 1.24 to 2.93), but not with HIV testing (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 0.77 to 1.21) or acquiring HSV-2 (aOR 0.92, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.38). In the cross-sections, MTVShuga-DS was associated with greater PrEP awareness (aOR 1.7, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.43), but no other outcome.ConclusionsAmong both urban and rural AGYW in South Africa, MTVShuga-DS exposure was associated with increased PrEP awareness and improved demand for some HIV prevention and SRH technologies but not sexual health outcomes. However, exposure to MTVShuga-DS was low. Given these positive indications, supportive programming may be required to raise exposure and allow future evaluation of edu-drama impact in this setting.

Impact of sexual and reproductive health interventions among young people in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

“…Additionally, they can also be executed through cinema or emerging digital media channels, which encompass websites, pop-up and banner advertisements, codes, and viral marketing ( 65 ). Despite previous research highlighting that mass media campaigns can influence SRH ( 41 , 66 – 68 ), there have been few attempts to synthesise evidence across young people's reproduction SRH outcomes. Similar to the review by Stead and colleagues, 2019, this study reported mixed evidence of the effect of mass media campaigns on SRH outcomes ( 65 ).…”