Prevention of HIV and other STIs in rural Senegal: a study of prevention-related events collected by sentinel observers

Abstract

We conducted a study of AIDS/STI prevention-related events based on a network of sentinel observers over a 35-month period in three rural communities of Senegal (May 2000 – March 2003). In one of these communities we also conducted a population-based study on self-reported prevention events and attitudes towards AIDS. Sentinel observers recorded 1 590 AIDS/STI prevention-related events. More than half of the reported events were radio programmes. The proportion of events on the occasion of which therapies was addressed increased significantly between 2000 and 2001, from less than 3% to about 10%, while sharp decreases in the proportion of events dealing with condoms and STIs, both from around 25% to less than 15%, were observed at the same time. The population-based survey indicated that men were more influenced by individual events like informal discussions or radio programmes while women seemed to be more influenced by collective events such as public meetings and school education.

Nous avons mené une étude des événements relatifs à la prévention du SIDA et des IST à l'aide d'un réseau d'observateurs-sentinelles sur une durée de 35 mois (mai 2000 – mars 2003) dans trois communautés rurales du Sénégal. Dans l'une d'elle, nous avons également conduit en population générale une étude des événements auto-déclarés relatifs à la prévention et des attitudes vis-à-vis du SIDA. Les observateurs-sentinelles ont enregistré 1 590 événements. Plus de la moitié concernaient des émissions de radio. La part des événements faisant état des traitements du SIDA a augmenté de 3% à 10% entre 2000 et 2001 alors que celles des événements qui faisaient état du préservatif d'une part et des IST d'autre part, ont chuté toutes deux de 25% à 15% sur la même période. L'enquête en population générale a révélé que les hommes étaient plus influencés par les événements individuels comme les discussion informelles ou les programmes radiodiffusés alors que les femmes semblaient avoir été plus sensibles aux événements collectifs du type réunion publique ou cours donnés à l'école.

Keywords:

• rural Africa
• AIDS/STI prevention-related events
• sentinel observers
• population-based survey

Mots clés:

• Afrique
• zone rurale
• SIDA/STI
• événements relatifs à la prévention
• observateurs-sentinelles
• enquête en population générale

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Abdoulaye Sidibé Wade

Abdoulaye Sidibé Wade is a medical doctor specialising in public health and sociology. He is currently in charge of the Division SIDA at the Senegalese Ministry of Health. He has extensive experience in the field of monitoring AIDS prevention and has coordinated several research projects among vulnerable populations such as men who have sex with men (MSM) and community sex workers (CSW).

Catherine Enel

Catherine Enel is a free-lance anthropologist. She has done extensive fieldwork in Senegal, participating in socio-demographic qualitative and quantitative surveys. She has a longstanding interest in the study of risk factors for the HIV/AIDS epidemic in West Africa (Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau).

Emmanuel Lagarde

Emmanuel Lagarde is tenure researcher at the French National Institute for Health research (INSERM). He has been involved in research projects in the field of AIDS for 15 years. He is currently the epidemiologist on the team conducting the South African trial on the impact of male circumcision on HIV transmission, and is coordinating a research project on men who have sex with men (MSM) in Senegal. He also has an interest in the epidemiology of road traffic accidents.