Making sense of HIV & AIDS in Senegal: social representations in narratives by urban youth Open Access

Abstract

Background: Senegal is considered one of sub-Saharan Africa's success stories in
relation to the response to HIV, however the impact of HIV on health and well-being in
the country remains considerable. Given that nearly half of all new infections occur in
people under 25 years old, there is a need to understand how AIDS is socially constructed
among young people in order to inform education and communication efforts aimed at
HIV prevention.

Objective: Scenarios from Africa scriptwriting contests invite young Africans to
contribute ideas for short fiction films to educate their communities about HIV & AIDS.
The purpose of this research is to examine the cultural meanings that frame HIV & AIDS
among urban Senegalese youth through the analysis of fictional narratives submitted to
the 2008 Scenarios from Africa contest. Findings will explore the symbolic and social
dimensions of how Senegalese youth make sense of HIV & AIDS and allow assessment
of current communication needs.

Methods: Using qualitative data analysis and narrative-based methodologies, I analyzed
a stratified random sample of 60 narratives submitted to the 2008 Scenarios from Africa
contest by urban Senegalese youth aged 10-24.

Results: The narratives focused primarily on the circumstances of infection and on the
post-infection period. HIV-related vulnerability was framed in terms of high-risk groups
rather than specific behaviors that put an individual at risk. Women, poor people, sex
workers, individuals with multiple partners, migrants and travelers were depicted as
central to the spread of HIV. Despite a predominant focus on the circumstances of
infection, many narratives ended with hopeful outcomes for people living with HIV &
AIDS, including social support, activism and treatment uptake.

Conclusion: The process of 'othering' characteristic of the dataset presumes that HIV is
contracted by high-risk groups through immoral behaviors and has the disadvantage of
minimizing risk perception within the general population. The superficiality of mentions
of HIV prevention strategies in the narratives suggests the need for a more integrated life
skills development approach to HIV programming. Stigma reduction efforts, life skills
development, and couples' communication are recommended as priority areas for future
HIV prevention interventions.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Comprehensive Review of the Literature
Chapter 3. Project Content

Chapter 4. Discussion, Conclusion and Recommendations

References

About this Master's Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Keyword	social representations Senegal narrative youth HIV/AIDS
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Winskell Enger, Kate, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs

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