The use of facebook by LVCT health to provide access to HIV-related information among young people in Homa bay town

Abstract

Homa Bay Town continues to bear a heavy burden of HIV and AIDS among its young residents. Recent survey shows that Homa Bay County has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates, with a percentage of 19.1 against the 4.5 national average. While most research revolves around community-based and health facility interventions, few studies have been conducted to interrogate how health organizations leverage new media platforms like Facebook to lower the HIV burden. In view of this, this study sought to explore the role of LVCT Health’s Facebook page in providing young people with access to HIV-related information in Homa Bay Town. More specifically, it endeavored to: first, explore how LVCT Health uses its Facebook page to disseminate HIV-related information to young people in Homa Bay Town; second, establish how LVCT Health uses its Facebook page to garner feedback from young people in Homa Bay Town on the HIV-related information it disseminates; and third, identify how LVCT Health uses its Facebook page to co-create HIV-related information for dissemination to young people in Homa Bay Town. In addressing these objectives, the study relied on the multistep theory of communication proposed by Lazarsfeld et. al. in 1955, which explains the flow of information from a media source to the opinion leaders to the audience, and feedback from the audience. This study utilized a case study design situated within a qualitative approach. A purposive sampling technique was employed to identify 24 young residents in Homa Bay, aged between 18 to 35 years, 4 digital opinion leaders, and 4 LVCT Health staff members from the communications department and HIV program team. The study’s data were collected using focus group discussions involving the young residents, and in-depth interviews with the digital opinion leaders and LVCT Health’s staff members in the communications department and HIV program. The data was analyzed thematically and presented in quotes and a narrative format. The study’s findings add to the extant literature essential insights regarding how HIV-related organizations, exemplified by LVCT Health, can strategically leverage Facebook as a digital information infrastructure to enhance access to HIV information among young people in high-prevalence regions. Based on its main findings, the study recommends entrenched routine evaluations of Facebook messaging to ensure successful co-creation of targeted messages, consistent dissemination of youth-friendly digital campaigns, and sustained investment in adapting HIV-related content to align with evolving features of new media platforms.