Use of technology in reproductive health information designed for communities in South Africa

The need to change sexual behavior to reduce the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has highlighted the critical need for dissemination of effective reproductive health information. A wide range of media, including visual technologies, is used to provide health information to communities in South Africa. However, little is known about the ability of the technology used in communicating intended messages or on the comprehension of messages by the target audience. The study determined the ability of the technology to convey intended messages and the level of understanding of the information disseminated among the community members. A survey of both rural and urban communities of Umtata district in the Eastern Cape province was conducted to examine the readability and understanding of reproductive health information. The study revealed that urban communities understood disseminated reproductive health information better than rural. The findings also indicated that visual communication is much more problematic for older people. Frequency and consistency of reproductive health information improved the level of comprehension.