Exposure to HIV/AIDS-Related Media Content and HIV Testing Intention: Applying the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction

Despite considerable evidence of an association between mass communication efforts and HIV testing behavior, the mechanisms through which this association may be established have been less extensively studied. Drawing on the integrative model of behavioral prediction, this study assessed the relationship between exposure to HIV/AIDS-related media content, individual intention to be tested for HIV, and the psychosocial variables mediating the relationship among 986 urban and rural residents of northwest Ethiopia. Structural equation modeling revealed that the relationship between exposure to HIV/AIDS-related media content and HIV testing intention was partially mediated by the three psychosocial variables associated with the integrative model (attitude, normative, and self-efficacy beliefs). However, whereas exposure to HIV/AIDS media content was found to be associated most substantially with attitudes toward HIV testing, intention to be tested was found mainly to be influenced by normative beliefs, which suggests that there is a possible mismatch between mass media programming and the prevailing psychosocial processes within the study population. The relationship between exposure to HIV/AIDS-related media content and HIV testing intention was also found to be mediated differently across urban and rural groups. Thus, it appears that the two groups may require different types of intervention to promote the desired behavior.