Evaluation of the Psamao "Roulez Protege" mass media campaign in Burkina Faso

This study assesses the impact of the Prevention du SIDA sur les Axes Migratoires de l'Afrique de l'Ouest Roulez Protege mass media campaign in Burkina Faso on truckers' likelihood of talking with colleagues about HIV/AIDS, using condoms with an occasional sexual partner, and intending to use a condom in the future. A total of 764 and 1,032 truckers were interviewed in 1997 and 2000 along the Ouagadougou-Niangoloko trucking route. Truckers' exposure to the program has been high and the main message promoted has been greatly understood among those exposed. Logistic regression analyses suggest that the campaign did not have direct behavioral impacts. Exposure to radio spots and participation in group discussions were found to be significantly associated with truckers discussing AIDS with peers or reporting intentions to use a condom in the future. Exposure to Roulez Protege messages through television or billboards was not found to be significantly associated with interpersonal discussion or condom use intentions. Programs should seek to sustain and expand the indirect effects of these types of programs in West Africa. Reinforcing interpersonal counseling interventions should, down the road, lead to overall knowledge and behavior changes among the high-risk trucker population.