Behaviour Change: Exclusive Tool to HIV/AIDS Reduction
Have you ever thought of your behaviour? Or, are you aware of the reasons, which make you to be popular? Most people do not care about these questions, which are the base of their behaviours, and which may be appreciated or disqualified according to social interpretations.
Every individual lives and works in a group of people and some are much known than others; the issue is whether they are known positively or negatively as the popularity is based on praising or scorning.
Some are known because they are drunkers, prostitutes, unsocial, fighters, delinquents, others because of their welcoming behaviours and accountability to their neighbours. The latter are likely to succeed in their societies to represent others, regardless their ages.
The issue is if it is possible or not to change the behaviour, what seems to be difficult for youths since their way of behaving depends on the companionship and their fear of being intimidated or discriminated by their close friends, who share with them the same behaviour.
Some people argue that it is not easy to change something that someone was accustomed to.
However, I am telling you that behaviour change is a process which requires so many elements. This includes knowing the behaviour of oneself and the acceptance of it by the society. Decide that you are going to change your prior behaviour and show to your friends that you have changed.
Since behaviour is not something that someone is born with, it is easy to change it. Nevertheless, the issue is to get support from neighbours. This is another saying that anyone can change if he/she is supported in the changing process.
What can be therefore behaviour change in terms of the HIV/AIDS killer disease? It is a kind of campaign which may be viewed as a process of using communication approaches and tools to foster positive change in behaviours, as well as in knowledge and attitudes around HIV/AIDS, and STDs.
Behaviour Change approaches recognize that presenting facts alone does not ensure behaviour change, and are designed to accommodate the stage of behaviour adoption of an individual or group and to cultivate skills integrally needed to enable and sustain change.
The youths have to identify the positive effect of changing their behaviours by setting future plans, as none can expect to be a president, a minister or a governor if his/ her behaviour is characterized by prostitution or drinking from morning to evening or smoking cannabis. Likewise if you have friends characterized by wrong behaviours, it is easy to miss your plans and consequently shorten your life.