Impacts of four communication programs on HIV testing behavior in South Africa

This paper aims to evaluate the impacts of four communication programs on promoting HIV testing behavior among sexually active individuals in South Africa. The four programs, implemented by Johns Hopkins Health and Education in South Africa, are aimed to promote HIV prevention behaviors, as well as gender-based violence prevention, tuberculosis screening and treatment, and reduction of alcohol consumption. Launched between 2009 and 2010, they all promoted HIV testing. Data came from the population-based Third National AIDS Communication Survey 2012; 6004 men and women who had sex within the last 12 months were included in the analysis. Multiple causal attribution analysis is used to justify causal reference and estimate the impact of communication programs. Findings indicate significant direct and indirect effects of the programs on HIV testing behavior. Indirect effects worked through increasing one's likelihood of perceiving that their friends were tested and the probability of talking about HIV testing with sex partners and friends, which in turn increased the likelihood of HIV testing. Findings suggest multiple angles from which communication programs can promote HIV testing. The study also demonstrates the use of multiple statistical techniques for causal attribution in a post-only design, where randomization is not possible.