Can Sweden Learn from Botswana with Regard to HIV Prevention Communication? : A Study about Risk Perception, Risk Behaviour and HIV Prevention Communication in Sweden and Botswana

We know that Sweden's HIV communication strategy does not specifically address young women, while Botswana's HIV communication strategy does. The overarching aim of this study is therefore to investigate whether Sweden should and could learn from Botswana with regard to focus on women in the HIV communication strategy. To do so, the methods used are qualitative interviews and focus groups with young women in Sweden and Botswana, expert interviews with representatives from organizations in Sweden and Botswana as well as textual analysis of different HIV prevention strategies from both countries. The results of this study shows that there seems to be a difference between young women’s risk perception and risk behaviour in Sweden and Botswana, a difference that can partly be explained by hoe respective country work with HIV prevention communication towards this group. This indicates that Sweden could learn from Botswana’s HIV prevention communication concerning how they work with young women as a target group and how gender equality and empowerment of women is part of Botswana’s communication strategy. However, because of the difference in HIV prevalence and because of the limited effect of communication measures, the difference in communication can only be considered a small part of the to why the differences exist