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Aud des Ambassadeurs International Social and Behavior Change Communication Summit info@sbccsummit.org"
The TB Innovations and Health Systems Strengthening Project (TBIHSS), funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by FHI 360, supported the Department of Health's (DOH) National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) to develop a health promotion and communication strategy called #TBFreePH. This strategy used a campaign website that featured a self-assessment TB screening tool. This online self-assessment tool aims to help individuals assess their risk of TB. Called "Am I TB-free?", it asks the user to answer a series of questions about TB symptoms and related risks. At the end of the short survey, the user receives recommendations based on his or her responses and is given a list of nearby health facilities providing TB services. The tool was pre-tested for its functionality, validity, and reliability. Pretest respondents, with consent, were recruited to use the online self-assessment tool and rate its design and ease-of-use. To test for validity, on-line screening results were compared to physician determinations by tele-consulting TB physicians on individuals' results who gave consent for the consult. The recommendation of the physicians is regarded as the gold standard. Inter-rater reliability was measured by determining the Kappa (a) statistics.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective HIV prevention option, but it is grossly underutilized by the South African populations most at risk for HIV infection, including adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). Recent studies have highlighted that PrEP uptake is hampered in many communities by low awareness, stigma and misconceptions. To help educate at-risk clients about the benefits of PrEP and motivate them to consider it as an HIV prevention option, Shout-It-Now (Shout), a PEPFAR CDC DREAMS partner, engaged a media partner to develop a three-and-a-half-minute youth-friendly short-form video that is shown to clients accessing Shout's mobile, community-based HIV testing service. The video addresses common knowledge gaps and misconceptions by advising AGYW about PrEP's availability as a highly effective HIV prevention option, that PrEP use is completely within an individual's control (unlike condoms), addresses adolescent misconceptions about their own HIV risk, describes how to take PrEP effectively, explains the likelihood and severity of side effects and informs youth that PrEP can be used on cycles that correspond to HIV risk. The video also uses an empowerment and sex-positive frame to normalize safer sex and destigmatize PrEP use. A recent analysis of the video's effectiveness between November 1, 2021 and March 7, 2022 found that 49.3% of clients who saw the video agreed to initiate onto PrEP versus 41.5% who did not view the video (a 18.79% improvement in PrEP uptake).