Interpersonal Communication and HIV and AIDS Self-Protection among the Youth in Secondary Schools in Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to investigate how young people use interpersonal communication to anchor their self-protection from possible risks of HIV infection. Social Construction Theory guided this study. The study was conducted among students in public secondary schools in Lang'ata District, Nairobi County. Mixed methods research design guided the study. The survey method was used to collect Quantitative data from a sample of 340 respondents. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondents for the survey. Qualitative data were collected from focus group discussions and key informants. Participants in the FGDs and the key informants were selected purposively. Ten FGDs each with eight participants were held while 10 key informants were interviewed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to interpret the quantitative data collected. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the themes in qualitative data. The data collected were triangulated to enhance the reliability and validity of the results. The study found that the youth used interpersonal communication to engage in discoursesth at generate meanings, interpretations and understanding of HIV and AIDS with their peers. The interpersonal discourses generated from a common stock of lay knowledge from which the youth made decisions about their behavioral responses to HIV and AIDS. The study concluded that the HIV and AIDS preventive behaviors are not only the outcome of an individual decision but are "rational” decisions stemming from a blending of lay discourses. Therefore, interpersonal exchange is important in mediating mass media campaigns' influences on people's attitudes and beliefs. The study recommended that media initiatives that are already objects of young people's exchanges be used as channels for disseminating HIV and AIDS preventive messages because they have a greater chance of becoming part of the youth's discourses.  The study recommends further research to establish the extent of interpersonal networks among the youth and how these networks impact on their behavior.