Media and Public Health in the Context of HIV/AIDS

Introduction

Epidemics have threatened public health from past to present. AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) caused by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is one of the deadly epidemics that affected millions, especially the poor sub-Saharan African people. HIV/AIDS is fatal in many African countries, while in some other developed countries it is seen only as a chronic disease. While the medicines developed in recent years have greatly reduced deaths in developed countries, deaths from AIDS continue in regions without access to this kind of medicines. Unprotected sexual intercourse, anal sex, using the infected injection, drug and alcohol use before or during sexual intercourse that reduces the possibility of using condoms, sexual concurrency, starting sexuality at an early age, and infected blood transfusion are among the main routes and risk behaviors in the spread of HIV. Regular use of condoms and mutually faithful sexual relationships greatly reduces risk of HIV transmission. However, sometimes people may not avoid risky behavior even if they know about the risk. Here it should be taken into account other psychological and social variables such as self-efficacy, socio-economic level, and the need for sensation seeking also affect the behavior of individuals.

There are great differences in the spread of HIV by country, region, and economic situation of the household and country. While HIV is mostly transmitted through homosexual relationships in North America and drug addiction in Russia, in sub-Saharan Africa, it is generally transmitted by heterosexual relationship. People living with HIV/AIDS and dying from the illness are generally poor individuals living in countries and regions with lower socio-economic levels. Those people are unable to access essential medicines and or do not know protection methods. For example, people living in sub-Saharan Africa or blacks in the United States of America (USA).

When HIV/AIDS were first introduced in 1985, it was understood as an illness that only affects homosexuals. Over time, it has been determined that this epidemic can affect everyone living in the community. As the Chinese researcher noted HIV/AIDS has evolved in China from a disease of “the other”—foreigners, minorities, and the rural, peripheral, disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of people—to an epidemic that threatens the general population (Yu, 2012).

Media is one of the important tools that inform, enlighten and affect the public. Scientific studies have revealed that the media has important functions in prevention by providing information from this epidemic. Media is sometimes used to frighten people. Health news is often given in exaggerated ways to arouse people's attention and avoid risky behavior. Lack of knowledge about how HIV spreads is being eliminated to a large extent through the media. Especially in recent years, it has become very easy to reach the media as a result of the spread of the internet. While young people generally access information about AIDS on social media, older people try to access information on mass media via internet, print media, TV or radio.

The mass media reach millions of people, but they are more likely to reach persons of better socioeconomic and educational status, and those more active in the community activities than those of lowest socioeconomic status, education, and participation in community affairs. As stated by the authors, the major concern in teaching prevention methods is not one of reaching all people but rather of reaching the desired audience (Griffiths and Knutson, 1960, p.516). The desired target group for HIV/AIDS is undoubtedly the group with a tendency to take risky sexual behavior, those who have had sexual intercourse with the effects of drugs and alcohol, and those who have unprotected intercourse without using condoms

While many news in the media help protect individuals from HIV, some of them can cause a stigmatization to those living with HIV. The purpose of this study is to explain the role of the media in HIV prevention. In this part of the book, firstly, how news about HIV/AIDS appears in the media was explained. Then, the role of mass media in HIV protection, one of the most important sources, was evaluated. At the end of the chapter, the role of social media, which has become widespread among young people in recent years, in protection from HIV was summarized. Due to the lack of sufficient literature on the treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS and the effectiveness of providing social support to these individuals through the media, this area was not included in the chapter.