Health literacy is an essential pre-requisite for effective self-care. Equipping individuals with accurate and actionable health information ensures they are fully empowered in the successful prevention, monitoring and management of their health conditions.
The challenge is finding effective ways to reach individuals with the health information they need. This is particularly true for marginalized and vulnerable populations who are unable to access clinic-based health information and services due to stigma, discrimination and their specific health needs not being catered for. For HIV and sexual health, the marginalized groups in greatest need of health services and information include men who have sex with men, transgender people, sex workers, people who use drugs and young people.
Digital approaches create new routes to providing health information, and with greater privacy for the individuals who are seeking it. For marginalized and vulnerable populations, the digital space opens up many opportunities by providing a safe way for critical health information to reach them. Critical health information which they may not be able to access elsewhere due to stigma and discrimination. Digital platforms can also provide marginalized groups an opportunity to share information and amplify their voices.
Young people, including those from marginalized and vulnerable groups, are increasingly turning to online and social media to get advice on all aspects of their lives, including health. With rapidly growing mobile phone access and ownership, digital health information can reach many more people who need it, via the online platforms they already engage with.
Be in the KNOW is Avert’s digital health information and self-care brand, across website and social media. It offers stigma-free, sex-positive content primarily for individuals across English-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, designed to help them understand, discuss and take action to protect their sexual health and answer some of their most pressing questions on relationships, sexual health and HIV.
Be in the KNOW has specific self-care content aimed at marginalized and vulnerable populations affected by HIV, including explainers on HIV prevention options and how to use them effectively, how to self-test, and how to live well with HIV. Be in the KNOW also has a broad range of sexual health self-care content on topics including contraception, healthy relationships, sexuality and rights.
The content on Be in the KNOW is developed through co-creation and user engagement with our target audiences, including those from marginalized HIV-affected populations, to understand and get personal testimony on their knowledge needs, the barriers they face and how to make HIV and sexual health information and services better. Co-creation allows us to produce content that has real-world impact – supporting our target audience to engage with and look after their health, increasing their health literacy and capacity for self-care as well as encouraging them to engage with services when they need to.
Be in the KNOW content addresses the questions received through our social media channels, as well as the keywords being searched and questions being asked on search engines in our focus countries, ensuring that we are meeting the needs of individuals – especially those who cannot ask these questions or receive this information through traditional health care settings.
To explore and share the content on offer on Be in the KNOW, visit the website and social media channels:
For further information, contact emma.collingbourne@avert.org