MINA. For Men. For Health applies private sector consumer marketing approaches to strengthen behavior change communications for men living with HIV in South Africa.
Background
Despite considerable gains, South Africa has not yet achieved 90-90-90 targets to reach HIV epidemic control. Various societal and psychosocial factors limit men’s uptake of HIV services, leading to a gap between men and women in HIV testing and treatment.
Methods
Historically, national communications targeting men living with HIV in South Africa have been limited.
In collaboration with PEPFAR and the South African National Department of Health, Project Last Mile applied a private sector approach to delivering targeted communications across multiple touchpoints to strengthen men’s uptake of HIV testing, HIV treatment, and broader health services.
MINA. For Men. For Health was rolled out as a national brand to encourage men to take responsibility for their health. MINA. For Men. For Health highlighted real men’s stories in public health facilities and through mass media, including TV, showcased the journeys of a diverse range of men living with HIV.
Results
MINA. For Men. For Health has been activated in 530 facilities, reaching more than 4 million men aged 25-39 across South Africa.
Project Last Mile’s studies suggest a positive link between men’s exposure to the MINA. For Men. For Health campaign and positive HIV health-seeking behaviors such as uptake of HIV and anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
An in-clinic evaluation found that 91% of the men living with HIV surveyed were familiar with the MINA. For Men. For Health campaign, and most attributed the campaign to positive health-seeking behaviors, such as disclosing their HIV status.
Since MINA. For Men. For Health’s launch, there has been an acceleration in men’s HIV testing, treatment uptake, and men remaining on treatment.
These results indicate that applying a consumer marketing approach may encourage shifts in behaviors for priority population segments.
Discussion
In the next phase, Project Last Mile will continue to test how consumer-marketing approaches can influence health behaviors, focusing on integrating “undetectable= untransmittable” (U=U) messaging to motivate testing, treatment initiation, and treatment continuation to reach viral suppression. The target audience will be broadened to the general population to support shifting norms and create an enabling environment for improved HIV health-seeking behaviors.
About the campaign
Leveraging best practices from The Coca-Cola Company, Project Last Mile applied an insights-driven strategic marketing process to address the gap in men’s uptake of HIV testing and treatment services in South Africa. Through this process, MINA. For Men. For Health was developed as a national brand to encourage men to take responsibility for their health.
The NDoH endorsed MINA. For Men. For Health for a national scale-up in South Africa. It was launched via national media (TV, radio, Facebook, and digital) and in-clinic campaigns at the end of 2020. The campaign has undergone rigorous monitoring and impact evaluation.
As MINA. For Men. For Health was designed to support long-term behavior change, the campaign’s impact will continue to be meticulously monitored to assess how early gains are sustained and scaled. Project Last Mile seeks to understand the full spectrum of behavioral influencers over the long term to inform NDoH about the factors impacting HIV-related health-seeking behaviors in South Africa.
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This initiative is funded and supported by PEPFAR and USAID. The content and information provided on this website are the responsibility of Project Last Mile and is not official United States government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of PEPFAR, USAID or the United States Government.