Engaging with Young People Project - What do young people know about HIV? Author: Adam Jones, All Wales Sexual Health Network Coordinator Date: 15 January 2013 Version: 1 Publication/ Distribution: Public (Internet) All Wales Sexual Health Network Relevant Local Authority Youth Services Purpose and Summary of Document: Compiles all of the outcomes from the local youth engagement sessions around young people s knowledge about HIV/AIDS Work Plan reference: Sexual Health & Wellbeing Action Plan for Wales, 2010-2015
Acknowledgements The author would like to thank the Principal Youth Officers Group, the youth workers who have delivered these engagement sessions, the young people who have contributed their time and opinions in the engagement sessions, Tim Opie at WLGA for distributing the session information across Wales and Corinne Fry for her significant assistance in devising the overall structure and her enthusiasm for the project. Introduction This is the first report from the Engaging with Young People Project, conducted on behalf of the All Wales Sexual Health Network through youth services across Wales. This initiative has been undertaken in response to the Explore with Young People how better to actively involve them with the All Wales Sexual Health Network task on the Sexual Health & Wellbeing for Wales Action Plan, 2010-2015. It is acknowledged that youth services who already run youth groups may be best placed to engage with young people on sexual rather than the All Wales Sexual Health Network establishing new groups to run on an ad-hoc basis. Reporting Mechanism For this project, the following process for running the focus groups and reporting is introduced: All Wales Sexual Health Network Coordinator creates project brief and session plan for Local Youth Services on a given sexual health topic. The brief is given with a deadline for delivery (6-8 weeks); Local Youth Service decides internally which of their youth groups is most appropriate for this session i.e. is there a local youth council meeting within this timescale?; Focus Group/Workshop is run, and young people s opinions are captured by the Youth Officer; Youth Officer provides brief feedback on their session to the All Wales Sexual Health Network Coordinator; All Wales Sexual Health Network Coordinator compiles this report, reporting on local findings and then concluding with an overall response, which encapsulates the majority viewpoint. What follows are the outcomes from the Autumn 2012 engagement work. Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 1 of 12
1 Background The All Wales Sexual Health Network has been asked to report on what young people know (or think they know) about HIV/AIDS. Their engagement is sought to provide opinions to influence the (at the time) forthcoming development of an HIV prevention campaign across Wales. The first stage of the HIV prevention campaign commenced in late November (Appendix 1). Working in partnership with Local Authority Youth Services across Wales, the opinions of young people have been captured in the localities in workshops, and these findings are gathered together in this document. 2 Session Structure Youth Service s Principal Youth Officers were given a briefing paper by the All Wales Sexual Health Network Coordinator (Appendix 2). This paper highlighted the reason why the All Wales Sexual Health Network wanted to know the young people s opinion on HIV/AIDS, how this information would be used in future work and the outcomes that the All Wales Sexual Health Network expects from the sessions. Youth Services were given an eightweek window in which to carry out the sessions and feedback to the All Wales Sexual Health Network Coordinator. Alongside the briefing sheet, a session plan and supporting materials is provided to the youth services. In this instance, the session plan (Appendix 3) included a group activity and a group discussion. The activity involved statements about HIV/AIDS which were either true or false (Appendix 4). In groups, young people were asked to identify the true or false statements about HIV/AIDS. The facilitator was provided with an answer sheet, with additional information about specific statements in order to educate the young people further (Appendix 5). From this, we hoped to identify common myths and misconceptions prevalent amongst young people. In the second part of the session, young people were asked where they currently get information about HIV/AIDS and ideas for future prevention campaigns. From this part of the session, the young people s ideas will help to shape any future promotion campaigns targeted specifically at young people. 3 National Statistics Total Number of Young People engaged: 107, with two further sessions with attendance numbers unrecorded. Age Range of Young People Engaged: 11 16 Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 2 of 12
Youth Services Engaged: Neath Port Talbot, Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Rhondda Cynon Taf 4 Local Reports 4.1 Neath Port Talbot Numbers in Attendance: 27 Comments regarding True/False Statements activity: [In a group consisting of 3 males aged 14, 2 females aged 14 and 1 male aged 15] They had all heard of both HIV and AIDS. They thought that it was a sexual disease that you can treat but not cure it, using protection means it s less likely for you to get it, and that HIV leads to AIDS. They answered 10 of the questions right and 2 of them wrong. They thought that HIV could survive outside the body and that it could not be passed on from breastfeeding. [In a group consisting of 2 females aged 12 and 1 female aged 13] They were not quite sure what HIV and AIDS were, but had heard of HIV and Aids in school. [In a group consisting of 2 females aged 12 and 1 female aged 11] They did not know what HIV and AIDS were and they had not heard about it before [In a group consisting of 2 males aged 14 and 1 male aged 15] They had heard of HIV/AIDS and said that they thought it was a sexually transmitted disease that people could get from having sex. They also understood that HIV and AIDS were not the same thing. They said that you get HIV first and then it turns to AIDS. They had received their information from PSE in school and TV. They thought that HIV could be passed on through insect bites, and that it could not be passed on through oral sex. [In a group consisting of 1 male aged 13 and 1 male aged 12] One of the young people thought that HIV/ AIDS was a disability and he had heard of both on the TV and during PSE at school. They thought that HIV could survive outside the body, you could not pass it on through oral sex, that straight people did not get HIV and that you could not pass it on through unprotected sex Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 3 of 12
[In a group consisting of 3 males aged 16, 4 males aged 15, 1 male aged 14, 2 females aged 15 and 2 females aged 14.] The group had heard of HIV and AIDS, they said that you can get it from having sex. They understood that they were not the same thing saying you get AIDS from HIV, and that HIV turns into AIDS. They also said that you can t survive AIDS that it will kill you in the end. They answered 11 out of the 12 questions right and 1 wrong. They thought that HIV could be passed through insect bites. [In a group consisting of 3 males aged 14, 2 females aged 14 and 1 male aged 15.] They had all heard of both HIV and AIDS. They thought that it was a sexual disease that you can treat it but not cure it, using protecting means it s less likely for you to get it and that HIV leads to AIDS. They thought that HIV could survive outside the body and that it could not be passed on from breastfeeding. Comments regarding current sources of information: In general, the young people felt that they do not learn enough about it in school. The information they did have was learnt from PSE and Geography in school and from TV - the programmes mentioned were Unsafe Sex in the City, which the young people said was really good and that they learnt from it, and Embarrassing Bodies. Comments regarding future sources of information: All thought that they and other young people would benefit from more information about HIV and AIDS. It seemed that the older the young people were the more they knew about the topic however there were some misunderstandings in all groups. The facilitator noted that some of the young people did not realise the seriousness of HIV/ AIDS. 4.2 Blaenau Gwent Numbers in Attendance: 67 Ages of Attendees: Age Number 12 5 13 8 Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 4 of 12
14 13 15 31 16 10 Comments regarding True/False Statements activity: All but one of the statements was identified as true or false correctly by the majority. The most challenging was the statement HIV can be passed through breastfeeding, where 32 identified correctly that this was true, and 35 believed this to be false. Comments regarding current sources of information: Most young people have gained their knowledge from visiting sexual health worker (youth worker) during school PSE sessions followed by magazines and parents. Comments regarding future sources of information: The following were identified as good potential vehicles for information: More sessions in school DVD s Discussions with someone who is suffering from HIV Interactive games Notice boards in youth clubs TV adverts Other Comments: The young people had the following ideas regarding the information they should know regarding HIV/AIDS: How you can get it What does it do to you Who s there to help you How not to get it Be able to get protection from school Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 5 of 12
Pictures to see what it looks like How to tell if someone has got it Full explanation of what it is all about 4.3 Monmouthshire Numbers in Attendance: 11, plus two groups of unspecified attendees Ages in Attendance: 14-15 years old Comments regarding True/False Statements activity: On delivering the true/false activity, the young people did very well. They answered 2 statements incorrectly which were; HIV can be passed through breastfeeding HIV can survive outside of the body The young people stated that at school they were well informed about the dangers of HIV contraction in terms of a sexual relationship but when it came to pregnancy or passing it on through non-sexual means; such as pregnancy and breastfeeding (the omission being intravenous drug) they were less informed. As for HIV surviving outside the body, I think this was more down to not knowing about the virus/host relationship of the condition as oppose to ignorance of the condition. Overall the group discussion was enlightening, the young people s knowledge of the transmission of the virus and its effects were good. In another group, there were some statements that both staff and young people didn t know were true or false, examples being that you can t catch it from insects passing it on and HIV/AIDS can t live outside the body. Comments regarding current sources of information: The young people had stated that they learnt about HIV in PSHE at school, where they stated it was greatly expressed on them the seriousness of the condition. Comments regarding future sources of information: None recorded. Other Comments: Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 6 of 12
More knowledge and awareness about the social and historical aspects of the disease would be beneficial as it would allow young people to empathise with sufferers of the condition more than through learning about the disease itself. 4.4 Rhondda Cynon Taf Numbers in Attendance: 3 Ages in Attendance: 13-16 years old Comments regarding True/False Statements activity: Young people had most of the True/False statements correct (10 out of 12). They also shared with us that not enough information is available in school and that a lot of the knowledge was guess work and common sense. Comments regarding current sources of information: They said that more PSE lessons on matters such as STI s, Pregnancy etc would benefit them rather than lessons being focused on relationships and well being. Comments regarding future sources of information: More lessons in school for people to understand it more I have never ever had a lesson in school about PSE (Year 12 pupil) There are not enough leaflets with just the facts Would like to engage with one adult professional who is able to discuss any issues that we may have in a relaxed atmosphere / surroundings. We would never discuss issues with a school nurse Not enough facts on TV or the media about HIV / Aids Would not access a social media page about HIV / Aids as they fear the repercussion s of being talked about. Other Comments: None recorded. Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 7 of 12
5 Conclusive Findings 5.1 True/False Statements As we can see from the local reports from the three areas, young people were generally well aware of the facts about HIV and could rightly identify the myths too, which is clearly a good thing. It was observed in Neath Port Talbot that the older the young person was, the more they knew about the condition; it is fair to say that this is understandable knowing the curriculum and current access to information. The most incorrect answers were regarding the statement HIV can be passed through breastfeeding, which again could be explained by the young age group the engagement work was with. 5.2 Sources of Information As expected, most information was gained through schools and popular media such as television and magazines, however it was noted by the young people that they do not get enough information about the condition. It was interesting to note that in Monmouthshire, young people stated that the seriousness of the condition was impressed upon them in schools, whereas in Neath Port Talbot, the facilitator noted that some of the young people did not realise the seriousness of HIV/ AIDS. The Rhondda Cynon Taf group were keen to see the promotion of facts about the condition. Another interesting observation from Blaenau Gwent is the list of information the young people feel they should be aware of in relation to HIV/AIDS. One of the ideas they put forward arises from myths themselves, namely, how to tell if someone has got it. The fact that HIV generally has no identifiable visible symptoms may be something that needs to be emphasised in future prevention work. 5.3 Ideas for future campaigns The Blaenau Gwent groups put forward some interesting suggestions for future campaigns (see 4.2), and the suggestion of discussions with someone who is suffering from HIV strikes me as the most innovative idea. A good peer mentoring programme could be a great development alongside more traditional sources of information other organisations in Wales may already have a peer mentoring programme in place, who we should consider collaborating with on the promotion of consistent messages. Overall though, young people do get degrees of information about HIV/AIDS but future campaigns should ensure that consistent, definitive information is given and is available to relevant delivery agencies, perhaps Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 8 of 12
with messages tailored to different age groups. It is important to note the comments of a member of the Rhondda Cynon Taf group, who would not access a social media page about HIV/Aids as they fear the repercussion s of being talked about this is an appropriate and valid concern for all age groups about social media in the context of sensitive subjects. 6 Recommendations Future prevention campaigns should promote consistent messages about HIV facts and work to dismiss HIV myths such as HIV can be transmitted by insects and HIV can survive outside the body. We should consider working more closely with schools to help them in their lessons regarding HIV/AIDS, and ensure a consistency in the level of knowledge given across Wales Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 9 of 12
7 Appendices 7.1 Appendix 1 First poster from new HIV Prevention campaign Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 10 of 12
7.2 Appendix 2 Briefing Sheet for Facilitators Briefing Sheet for Focus Groups - HIV.do 7.3 Appendix 3 Session Plan for Faciliators SESSION PLAN HIV.doc 7.4 Appendix 4 True/False Statement Cards HIV Statements.doc 7.5 Appendix 5 True/False Statements Answers Sheets True False Answers for facilitator.doc Date: 12/01/2012 Version: 1 Page: 11 of 12