“It is guiding us to protect ourselves”: a qualitative investigation into why young people engage with a mass-media HIV education campaign

Abstract

This study explores how and why young people engage with MTV Shuga, a popular mass media edutainment campaign, to understand what makes effective HIV education. Young MTV Shuga viewers from the Eastern Cape, South Africa and their parents participated in remote individual interviews and focus groups in 2020. Qualitative data were transcribed and analysed using a thematic iterative approach. Young participants engaged with MTV Shuga for relatable, tolerant, and complex stories about young people navigating HIV and relationships. These stories, which made viewers aware of sexual health services, inspired young people to reflect on how they would approach sexual health scenarios. MTV Shuga initiated conversations among peers, partners and some families about HIV that made them feel supported and equipped to tackle problems in their own lives. Storytelling can make HIV education engaging and relatable as it guides young people through sexual health situations. Storytelling can empower young people to make their own informed decisions while allowing space for uncertainty and diverse opinions about HIV and sexual health. Media-based storytelling can disseminate knowledge into homes and start conversations about HIV in the broader community. Increasing digitally-unconnected youths’ access to media-based interventions is essential to making HIV education more equitable.