Home Contact Us Advanced Search Journal Help
IJoC
EDITORIAL BOARD
Editors
Manuel Castells
USC Annenberg School for Communication
Larry Gross
USC Annenberg School for Communication
Associate Editors
Jennings Bryant
University of Alabama
Susan Douglas
University of Michigan
Oscar Gandy
Annenberg/ University of Pennsylvania
Kathleen Hall Jamieson
Annenberg/ University of Pennsylvania
Robin Elizabeth Mansell
London School of Economics
Alejandro Piscitelli
University of Buenos Aires
Marshall Scott Poole
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
N. Bhaskara Rao
Centre for Media Studies, New Delhi
Ellen Seiter
USC Cinematic Arts
Book Review Editors
Gustavo Cardoso
University of Lisbon
Josh Kun
USC Annenberg School
Jack Linchuan Qiu
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Advisory Editors
Jonathan Aronson
USC Annenberg School
Sandra Ball-Rokeach
USC Annenberg School
Svetlana Balmaeva
Liberal Arts University
Howard S Becker
San Francisco
Yochai Benkler
Harvard Law School
Bruce Bimber
UC Santa Barbara
Pablo Javier Boczkowski
Northwestern University
William Dutton
Oxford University
Richard Dyer
University of London
Dilip Gaonkar
Northwestern University
Trudy Govier
University of Lethbridge
Larry Grossberg
University of North Carolina
James Hamilton
Duke University
Henry Jenkins
MIT
Steve Jones
University of Illinois-Chicago
Elihu Katz
Annenberg/ University of Pennsylvania
Douglas Kellner
UCLA
Marwan M. Kraidy
Annenberg/ University of Pennsylvania
Robert McChesney
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Toby Miller
University of California, Riverside
William John Mitchell
MIT
Peter R. Monge
USC Annenberg School
Thomas Nakayama
Arizona State University
Horace Newcomb
University of Georgia
John Durham Peters
University of Iowa
Dana Polan
NYU
Adam Powell
USC Engineering
Monroe Price
Annenberg/ University of Pennsylvania
Michael Renov
USC Cinematic Arts
Michael Schudson
UC San Diego
John Thompson
Cambridge University
Ingrid Volkmer
University of Melbourne
Simon J. Wilkie
USC School of Law
Barbie Zelizer
Annenberg/ University of Pennsylvania
Yuezhi Zhao
Simon Fraser University

University of Southern California

International Journal of Communication, Vol 2 (2008)

Faith-Based Initiatives in HIV/AIDS Communication: The Jamaican Situation

Nancy Muturi

Abstract


HIV/AIDS continues to advance relentlessly in the developing countries with the Caribbean ranking second to sub-Saharan Africa in rates of infection. Using the social influence theory that recognizes the role of opinion leaders in social and behavioral change, this study examines the contributions of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Jamaica. Through data gathered qualitatively from FBO members and persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), this article demonstrates that religion plays a crucial role in the Jamaican culture and that religious leaders have the potential to address the widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic in their communities. Many of them have established programs that provide social, psychological, and physical support and have collaborated with health organizations to initiate health educational programs that seek to impact understanding to motivate behavioral change. This FBO integrative approach complements mass media public awareness HIV/AIDS campaigns but is hampered by HIV/AIDS-related stigma, socio-cultural and religious beliefs, the lack of HIV/AIDS policies, and the inadequate capacity among religious leaders to address the epidemic. This article recommends further research on strategies to incorporate spirituality into health communication interventions, as well as on the overall impact of the FBO approach to HIV/AIDS prevention in the Caribbean region.

Full Text: PDF Copyright Notice Privacy Policy University of Southern California USC Annenberg Center