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Zambian Youth Respond Positively to Abstinence Message

HEART Program Urges Abstinence, Fidelity and Condom Use


U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
PRESS RELEASE


WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov
(202) 712-4320

2002-073

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2002

Contact: USAID Press Office

BARCELONA, SPAIN - Urging young people to abstain from sex in Zambia may not appear to make sense in a country where 75 percent are sexually active, but an AIDS prevention program sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shows young Zambians crave support for their decision to abstain and prevent HIV/AIDS.

Zambia's HEART (Helping Each Other Act Responsibly Together) program was designed by youth for youth and uses the mass media to promote HIV/AIDS prevention through abstinence, being faithful to one partner, or consistent condom use. Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) and Population Services International (PSI) are implementing the HEART program in Zambia, where approximately one of every six urban young people is HIV positive. JHU/CCP recently evaluated the program's first phase through extensive surveys with Zambian young people, who said they need support to remain virgins until older.

"Zambia's HEART program is a good example of an HIV/AIDS prevention strategy that is working," Dr. Paul De Lay, senior adviser at USAID for HIV/AIDS, said at the 14th International AIDS Conference in Barcelona. "The data show young people are willing to abstain from sex or use condoms as a result of the HEART spots on television and radio."

According to an evaluation of youth surveys conducted in Zambia in 1999 and 2000, girls in particular said they want concrete messages with reasons to stay virgins or return to abstinence. The decision to abstain was frequently reported as a direct result of exposure to the HEART program. Respondents were also more likely to say they chose 'to abstain' rather than to report condom use, a finding that counters the common argument in Zambia that television and radio spots about safe sexual behavior encourage promiscuity.

"Clearly abstinence, in addition to other prevention messages, is working in Zambia," said Elizabeth Serlemitsos, Chief of Party for the communication component of Zambia's Integrated Health Programme (ZIHP), a joint effort of USAID and the Government of Zambia. "We need to continue to promote the idea that abstinence is a social norm among Zambian youth, whether they are still virgins or wanting to return to abstinence."

JHU/CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based communication for behavior change and health promotion that has helped advance the theory and practice of public health communication. To find out more about JHU/CCP, go to http://www.jhuccp.org.

USAID is the world's leader in providing funding to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Since 1986, it has provided over $2.3 billion for prevention, care and treatment programs in over 50 countries around the world. Information on the USAID's HIV/AIDS programs is available at www.usaid.gov.

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