OneLove South Africa Interim Evaluation - Fact Sheet

This fact sheet offers some key statistics, observations, and insights drawn from both a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the OneLove campaign in South Africa. The campaign was launched in January 2009 in South Africa as part of a Southern African regional campaign, and was integrated into the Soul City 9 multimedia programme. The main focus of the OneLove campaign is on the reduction of multiple and concurrent partnerships (MCP) which have been identified as one of the key drivers of HIV infection in the region. The objectives of the OneLove campaign in South Africa are to create an enabling environment for social change, in which individual behaviour change is a positive choice; stimulate key debates on issues like culture and gender that may inform the HIV epidemic; and empower communities to take positive organised action to prevent HIV and AIDS.

Two independent evaluation studies were conducted. One qualitative study used convenient and purposive sampling to recruit participants, and focus group discussions were conducted to gather data. There were 10 focus groups with 9-12 participants each. Males and females were in separate groups, with an age range between 18-55 years old. Age was segmented into three categories, namely 18-25, 26-40, and 41-55 years. Respondents were recruited from three provinces: Gauteng, Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN), and Limpopo. The quantitative study used questionnaires which were administered through interviews to gather data. A sample size of 9,728, in 398 small enumeration areas (SEA) consisted of males and females aged 16 to 55 years old. All 9 provinces in South Africa were sampled. The evaluations did not include the community-level components of the OneLove campaign such as training and community dialogues.

Following the launch and initial implementation phase of OneLove in South Africa, the evaluation was conducted with the objective to:

• Explore the audience's overall impression of the Soul City OneLove campaign materials;
• Assess the relevance and appropriateness of the campaign materials and interventions, as well as the messages communicated;
• Explore the messages that the audience received from the OneLove campaign;
• Explore whether the OneLove campaign sparked debate among peers, families, and community members, and the nature of the debates;
• Understand further barriers to social change around MCP;
• Source the audience's suggestions for improving the OneLove campaign;
• Determine the reach of the OneLove campaign;
• Describe the patterns of exposure to the OneLove campaign; and
• Determine the impact of the OneLove campaign on the HIV- and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural outcomes that the campaign intended to address.

In terms of reach, OneLove multimedia, which was comprised of Soul City 9 television and radio series and related booklets, reached 61% of the South African population. Specifically, Soul City 9 and OneLove campaign elements achieved high levels of reach amongst adult South Africans. According to the research, reach was particularly high among young, more educated, unmarried people of African descent. Research has shown these groups to engage in higher risk behaviours, including multiple sexual partners, and to have the highest HIV prevalence. However, the evaluations suggest that there is opportunity to address older men engaging in intergenerational sex. According to the research, Soul City radio messaging is reaching the least-resourced populations in the rural areas of South Africa. The audience had a good impression of the campaign, found it to be relevant, and generally liked it. Overall, the reach of the OneLove campaign and its components is extensive given the short period between the launch and the evaluation field work (~5 months).

In terms of impact, OneLove was responsible for a 6% (1,644,600 people) increase in knowledge around partner reduction or faithfulness to one partner. According to the research, the campaign sparked debate amongst youth and parents as well as couples in sexual relationships. It also resulted in knowledge gains and attitude changes around HIV prevention in the form of condom use, partner reduction, and intergenerational and transactional sexual relations. Behaviour change associated with OneLove was observed in condom use and intergenerational and transactional sexual relations. The fact sheet states that OneLove was responsible for a 3% (822,319 people) increase in knowledge of condom use as a method of HIV prevention.

According to the fact sheet, measuring the impact of OneLove was difficult, as the campaign was very new when the survey was conducted. Behaviour change impacts typically take years to take effect, and the most important outcomes of the campaign, such as changes in MCP, are complex, and will likely take many years before significant impacts are observed. In conclusion, the outcomes of the evaluation are promising and form the basis of positive behaviour change that will likely be observed in the final evaluation, to be conducted between 2012 and 2013 at the end of the campaign.