Exploring the linkage between exposure to mass media and HIV awareness among adolescents in Uganda.

Although HIV awareness is an important prerequisite for successful HIV prevention, the rate of HIV testing and knowledge about HIV remains critically low among adolescents in Uganda. Using Uganda's 2016 Demographic and Health Surveys, this paper investigates the linkage between mass media exposure and HIV awareness among adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years old. We perform multivariate regressions to estimate the effect of mass media (print media, radio and TV) exposure on adolescents' awareness focusing on HIV testing and HIV-related knowledge. Results suggest that the frequency of exposure to mass media increases both adolescents' likelihood to get tested for HIV and their HIV-related knowledge score. These findings imply that health educators and HIV programme planners in Uganda should take advantage of traditional mass media and deliver more HIV-related messages through television, radio, and print media in order to enhance the levels of HIV testing and HIV-related knowledge among adolescents.