BBCWST KAP Baseline Survey 2005 Key Findings Report

[Guest guest]

The BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) is an independent charity within the BBC

which uses media to advance development worldwide. Since 2001 the BBC WST has

conducted a mass media campaign on HIV/AIDS in partnership with the Indian

Ministry of Health and Family Welfare’s National AIDS Control Organization

(NACO), and with the public TV broadcaster, Doordarshan. This is funded by the

British government’s Department for International Development (DFID).

The BBC WST project in India uses high quality TV entertainment as a forum for

messaging on HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, and for encouraging behaviour

change. A new phase of the project commenced at the end of 2004, and new

programming went on air nationwide on Doordarshan from September 2005.

The detective series ‘Jasoos Vijay’ returned to air for a year-long run in

September 2005 The youth-oriented programme ‘Haath se Haath Milaa’, reformatted

to involve leading Bollywood celebrities in HIV/AIDS awareness messaging, went

back on air for a year-long run in February 2006 Ten new PSAs are being made,

addressing condom promotion, stigma, gender and testing and treatment.

The BBC WST puts a particular emphasis on research and learning, from the

formative stage of a project to the evaluation of its impact. Therefore in

order to assess the impact of this new phase of the project, and to gain

up-to-date information about awareness and behaviour, the Trust undertook a

baseline study on Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) related to HIV/AIDS

and on media habits.

The survey was conducted in seventeen Indian states between mid June and end

July 2005. It assessed current perceptions, attitudes and behavior regarding

HIV/AIDS among the general population and among

Doordarshan (DD) audiences in non-metro urban and rural India. The study was

conducted in 17 states where Doordarshan viewership is high. Non-metro urban

areas with populations of up to 500,000 and rural villages with a population

greater than 5,000 were included in the study.

An initial screener survey was administered to 22,800 people to identify

Doordarshan viewers and to ask six key questions about HIV/AIDS. A second, much

more detailed survey was administered to 11,400 Doordarshan viewers.

Some of the key findings were:

85 % of the general population had heard of AIDS Awareness levels were higher

among men, and in urban areas 67% of the general population were aware, without

prompting, that HIV/AIDS could be transmitted sexually

Condom awareness is high but use is low.

Almost one in three women respondents were unable to specify any correct route

of HIV transmission TV viewers had much higher awareness of HIV/AIDS than non-

TV viewers Viewers of Doordarshan, were significantly more aware of HIV/AIDS

than viewers of cable and satellite channels

The report of this baseline survey is now available to all who are interested.

Please contact us for an electronic copy at research@....

Lubna Khan

Senior Researcher

Research & Learning (R & L)

BBC World Service Trust

E-21, Hauz Khas Main Market

New Delhi - 110016, India

011- 42591200 (1207)

Email : lubna.khan@...

www.bbcworldservicetrust.org