Communicating about HIV/AIDS – how attitude functions impact on teachers’ willingness to talk about condoms and sexuality

Teachers have been given a major role in creating awareness of HIV/AIDS and in ensuring that young people have the knowledge and skills to protect themselves. This study examines the extent to which attitude functions towards talking about condoms and sexuality impacts on teachers’ willingness to address HIV/AIDS in school and community settings in Mozambique. Data were collected through a survey among a stratified sample of 606 primary and secondary school teachers. The results of the study provide support for the fact that attitude functions selectively impact on teachers’ willingness to talk about HIV/AIDS in Mozambique and suggest that a better understanding of attitude functions may improve communication messages and bean important input into training and support of teachers. Using multinomial logistic regression the study found that teachers holding weak or moderate value expressive attitude functions were more than twice as likely to have talked about HIV/AIDS in their school and in their community in the past month and to intend to do so in the future, than those holding strong value expressive attitude functions. A similar relationship was found between strong and moderate utilitarian attitude functions and both past school and community communication behavior as well as future intentions. A third socio-defensive attitude function impacted on past communication behavior in schools and on future intentions, but not on past behavior in communities. Possible implications for support to teachers as part of HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness are discussed. Attitude functions and communicating about HIV/AIDS 3