Behavior Change Communication (BCC) is a multi-level tool for promoting and sustaining risk-reducing behavior change in individuals and communities by distributing tailored health messages in a variety of communication channels.
Before they can reduce their risk and vulnerability to HIV, individuals and communities must understand the urgency of the epidemic. They must be given basic facts about HIV/AIDS, taught a set of protective skills and offered access to appropriate services and products. They must also perceive their environment to be supportive of changing or maintaining safe behaviors.
As HIV is primarily a sexually transmitted infection (STI), this requires national and community discussions on sex and sexuality, risk, risk settings and risk behaviors. It also means dealing at the national and community levels with the resulting stigma, fear and discrimination.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic forces societies to confront cultural ideals — and the practices that clash with them. BCC is vital to this process and can set the tone for compassionate, responsible interventions. It can also produce insights into the broader socio-economic impacts of the epidemic. |
